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Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Polyfunctionality and Heterogeneity in Immune Responses
Published on: March 8, 2024
Immunology of Cytokine Storm Syndromes: Natural Killer Cells
Anthony R French1, Randy Q Cron2, Megan A Cooper3
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Abstract:
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune lymphocytes that rapidly produce cytokines upon activation and kill target cells. NK cells have been of particular interest in primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH) since all of the genetic defects associated with this disorder cause diminished cytotoxic capacity of NK cells and T lymphocytes, and assays of NK cell killing are used clinically for the diagnosis of HLH. Herein, we review human NK cell biology and the significance of alterations in NK cell function in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of HLH.
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