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A Flow Cytometry-Based Cytotoxicity Assay for the Assessment of Human NK Cell Activity
Published on: August 9, 2017
Natural killer cells in aging and age-related diseases
1Department of Neurology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
Abstract:
Aging leads to escalated systemic inflammation. As the sentinel of immune system, natural killer (NK) cells are early responders that sense cues and signals from target organs and swiftly orchestrate local inflammation upon their arrival. Emerging evidence indicates a profound role of NK cells in the initiation and evolution of neuroinflammation in aging and age-related diseases. Here we discuss recent advances in NK cell biology and the organ-specific features of NK cells in normal brain aging, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. Our increasing understanding of NK cells and their unique features in aging and age-related diseases may facilitate the future design of immune therapies targeting NK cells to benefit the old population.
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