Natural killer cells recognition

Brooks A-G, Boyington JC, Sun PD Natural killer cell recognition of HLA class 1 molecules. Rev Immunogenet 2000 2 433-448. 

Thymosin is an immunomodulatory peptide produced by the thymus gland and other cells. Thymosin alfa 1, a 28-amino acid peptide, is one member of the family of thymosins that collectively appear to influence a variety of regulatory and counter-regulatory functions in terms of T-cell maturation and antigen recognition, stimulation of native interferons and cytokines such as interleukin-2, and activity of natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In some countries it is approved as an adjuvant for influenza vaccine or as a treatment for chronic hepatitis B and, in combination with interferon for hepatitis C. Thymosin alfa 1 has been used with some success to treat children with the severe form of Di-George Syndrome. 

Another effector function is the cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Infected cells that were recognized and opsonized by specific antibodies can be lysed by natural killer cells which are the classical K cells. These properties are highly determined by the Fc part of antibodies. IgGl and IgG3 have the highest capacity for cell-mediated cytotoxicity. The effector function of an antibody is frequently used as a mean of antibody recognition. This is especially the case with bacterial proteins such as protein A and protein G that specifically interact with the same domain. Therefore purification can interfere with the antibody effector function. 

Strong, R. K. (2002). Asymmetric ligand recognition by the activating natural killer cell receptor NKG2D, a symmetric homodimer. Mol. Immunol. 38, 1029-1037. 

Diefenbach, A., and Raulet, D. H. (2001). Strategies for target cell recognition by natural killer cells. Immunol. Rev. 181, 170-184. 

Yokogama, M.W. (1993). Recognition of natural killer cells. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 5 67-73. 

Dennis, J. W. and Laferte, S. (1985). Recognition of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides on murine tumor cells by natural killer cells. Cancer Res. 45, 6034-6040. 

L. N. Carayannopoulos and W. M. Yokoyama, Recognition of infected cells by natural killer cells, Current Opinion in Immunology, 16, 2004, 26-33. 

Strong, R. K. (2002). Asymmetric ligand recognition by the activating natural killer cell receptor NKG2D, a symmetric homodimer. Mol. Immunol. 38, 1029-1037. Sugamura, K., Asao, H., Kondo, M., Tanaka, N., Ishii, N., Nakamura, M., and Takeshita,... 

Long, E.O., Tumor cell recognition by natural killer cells, Semin. Cancer Biol, 12, 57,2002. 

Borrego F, Ulbrecht M, Weiss EH, Coligan JE, Brooks AG (1998) Recognition of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E complexed with HLA class I signal sequence-derived peptides by CD94/NKG2 confers protection from natural killer cell-mediated lysis. J Exp Med 187 813 818... 

Multhoff G, Botzler C, Jennen L, Schmidt J, Ellwart J, Issels R (1997) Heat shock protein 72 on tumor cells a recognition structure for natural killer cells. J Immunol 158 4341-4350... 

A mechanism of cell-mediated immunity whereby an effector cell of the immune system actively lyses a target cell that has been bound by specific antibodies. The typical ADCC involves activation of natural killer (NR) cells and is dependent on the recognition of... 

Natural killer (NK) cells are bone marrow-derived large granular lymphocytes playing an important role in the innate immunity, especially against viruses and tumor cells, and they form 10-15% of the total lymphocyte population. NK cells have the ability to lyse cells without specific antigen recognition, and these cells may be considered as effector cells, especially in the innate... 

---