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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Expansion, Purification, and Functional Assessment of Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells
Published on: February 3, 2011
Non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted killer cells in human cord blood: generation and cytotoxic activity
1Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
Interleukin-2 (IL-2)-induced generation of non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted killer cells among human cord blood lymphocytes (CBL) was investigated. After 1 week in culture with recombinant (r)IL-2 and human serum (HuSer), the cytotoxicity of CBL against K562 and COLO cells greatly exceeded the cytotoxicity of cultured adult peripheral blood lymphocytes. Culturing of CBL with rIL-2 and HuSer led to preferable generation of CD56+ cells. After 1 month in culture, the number and frequency of CD56+ cells had increased by more than 50 and nine times, respectively. The generation of CD56+ cells in CBL cultures may at least partially be explained by their comparatively strong expression of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) beta-chain (p75).

