NK cells articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Ly49 gene family mainly encodes inhibitory or activating surface receptors on natural killer cells. Here the authors show that in mice, inhibitory and activating Ly49 genes are regulated by two distinct sets of cis-regulatory elements, and that different Ly49 genes can be cross-regulated.

    • Changxu Fan
    • , Xiaoyun Xing
    •  & Ting Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Innate immunity represents the first line of defence against pathogens, but certain innate cells are capable of memory formation, albeit with different and lesser-known mechanisms than adoptive immune cells. Here authors show that Themis2 regulates both memory NK cell development and function, via distinct downstream pathways.

    • Tsukasa Nabekura
    • , Elfira Amalia Deborah
    •  & Akira Shibuya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Uterine natural killer (NK) cells support tissue homeostasis in the uterus during pregnancy, but it is not fully known how they differentiate into potentially cytotoxic effector cells while avoiding tissue damage. Here authors show that Il21 receptor signalling via STAT3 activation governs their differentiation, while an apoptotic cell death program ensures that harm is limited.

    • Mengwei Han
    • , Luni Hu
    •  & Chao Zhong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells play important roles in the immune response to human cytomegalovirus infection. Here the authors implicate donor-derived liver resident natural killer cells in the control of human cytomegalovirus infection by analysis of perfusates derived from human transplant livers.

    • Calum Forrest
    • , Thomas J. G. Chase
    •  & Matthew Reeves

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myelodysplastic syndromes are characterised by clonal haematopoiesis, with the affected cells often harbouring mutations in the TET2 gene, an important regulator of DNA methylation state. Here authors show that the same mutations are also found in NK cells, perturbing their DNA methylation pattern and cytolytic function.

    • Maxime Boy
    • , Valeria Bisio
    •  & Nicolas Dulphy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NKR-P1 is an inhibitory receptor on the surface of natural killer cells, and its engagement with the ligand LLT1 on activated monocytes and B cells triggers NK cell self-tolerance and other immunological processes. Here authors set up a comprehensive, structure-based model of NKR-P1-LLT1 interaction that involves NKR-P1 homodimer formation and subsequent bridging of two LLT1 molecules.

    • Jan Bláha
    • , Tereza Skálová
    •  & Ondřej Vaněk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural Killer cells regulate foetal growth. Here the authors use a humanized transgenic mouse to demonstrate that specific HLA-C KIR2DL interactions promote changes in maternal and foetal cell transcriptomes, resulting in modifications to placental vasculature, intercellular communications and foetal growth restriction.

    • Gurman Kaur
    • , Caroline B. M. Porter
    •  & Lars Fugger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells have emerged as critical immune cells in the response to fungal infection. Here the authors identify how Candida albicans evades the natural killer cell response via expression of ligands that directly modify the natural killer cell response and can be therapeutically targeted to restore the anti-Candida immunity.

    • Yoav Charpak-Amikam
    • , Tom Lapidus
    •  & Ofer Mandelboim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Post transcriptional modifications to RNA may be important in the function of NK cells but this is not fully known. Here the authors show that m6A-methyltransferase METTL3 deletion in NK cells leads to reduced function and protection against tumour challenge through suppressing response to IL-15.

    • Hao Song
    • , Jiaxi Song
    •  & Zhigang Tian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During wound healing and infection in the skin there is a hypoxic environment involving HIF-1α and NK cells. Here the authors show that NK cells through HIF-1α provide a cross-regulatory balance to provide an adequate antimicrobial defence that can inhibit subsequent wound healing.

    • Michal Sobecki
    • , Ewelina Krzywinska
    •  & Christian Stockmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NK cells control SIV infection in secondary lymphoid tissues in the natural host that typically doesn’t progress toward disease. Here the authors show that this control is associated with terminal NK cell differentiation and improved MHC-E-dependent activity lacking in pathogenic SIV infection.

    • Nicolas Huot
    • , Philippe Rascle
    •  & Michaela Müller-Trutwin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes play a crucial role in neuroblastoma, but their relationship to other immune cells is poorly understood. Here the authors identify the cellular and gene signatures of intratumoural dendritic cells and natural killer cells that predict the clinical outcome of neuroblastoma.

    • Ombretta Melaiu
    • , Marco Chierici
    •  & Doriana Fruci

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MHC-I-induced signalling of various natural killer (NK) inhibitory receptors is critical for regulation NK cell education, but clear genetic evidence is still lacking. Here the authors generate multiple lines of mice differentially deficient in Ly49 family and/or NKG2A NK receptors, and find that self-MHCI specific Ly49 members and NKG2A synergize to regulate NK education.

    • Xiaoqian Zhang
    • , Jin Feng
    •  & Zhongjun Dong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detailed characterizations of human lung tissue-resident natural killer (trNK) cells, which potentially regulate local immune responses, is still lacking. Here the authors show that lung CD69+ CD16– NK cells express tissue-residency markers, produce effector cytokines, and are distinct, feature-wise, from lung CD8+ memory T cells or trNK in other tissues.

    • Nicole Marquardt
    • , Eliisa Kekäläinen
    •  & Jakob Michaëlsson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Senescent cells increase with ageing and may cause inflammatory conditions, but how this accumulation is mediated is still unclear. Here the authors show that senescent cells express HLA-E to suppress NKG2A-mediated natural killer and CD8 T cell activation to avoid targeted elimination, while blocking NKG2A helps promote immunity against senescent cells.

    • Branca I. Pereira
    • , Oliver P. Devine
    •  & Arne N. Akbar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the current human CD4 memory T cell stratification by CD45RA/CCR7, functional heterogeneities still exist within the respective subsets. Here the authors show that several surface markers, including KLRB1, KLRG1, GPR56 and KLRF1, help to further refine the subsetting of human CD4 memory T cells and provide insights for their differentiation.

    • Kim-Long Truong
    • , Stephan Schlickeiser
    •  & Birgit Sawitzki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Immune cells may become less responsive, or ‘exhausted’, upon chronic viral infection, but the underlying mechanism and crosstalk are still unclear. Here the authors show that, upon chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, natural killer cell exhaustion is induced by NKG2A signalling to instruct downstream exhaustion of CD8+ T cells and HCV persistence.

    • Chao Zhang
    • , Xiao-mei Wang
    •  & Hong Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The phosphatase Shp-2 was implicated in NK cell education due to its reported association with inhibitory receptors, but its function in this context is unclear. Here the authors show that Shp-2 is not required for NK cell function, but is necessary for IL-15-induced metabolic burst and expansion.

    • Charlène Niogret
    • , S. M. Shahjahan Miah
    •  & Greta Guarda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Innate lymphoid cells (ILC), including natural killer (NK) cells, are important innate immune regulators. Here the authors show that, in human infant intestines, CD103+Eomes+ NK cells are the predominant ILC population, but are replaced gradually by Eomes+ T cells, while NKp44+ NK cells persist in adult intestines.

    • Adrian F. Sagebiel
    • , Fenja Steinert
    •  & Madeleine J. Bunders

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The JAK-STAT signaling pathway is important for cytokine responses and CD4 T-cell differentiation. Here the authors show that Stat1 also serves to protect CD4 T cells from natural killer cell-mediated killing, potentially by promoting the expression of Nlrc5 and MHC-I, to preserve the induction of experimental colitis via the adoptive transfer of CD4 T cells.

    • Yu Hui Kang
    • , Amlan Biswas
    •  & Scott B. Snapper

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer (NK) cells are functionally calibrated against self MHC during a process termed education. Here the authors show that NK cell education is associated with the accumulation of dense-core secretory lysosomes for expedited release of granzyme B and Ca2+ flux upon target recognition and NK cell activation.

    • Jodie P. Goodridge
    • , Benedikt Jacobs
    •  & Karl-Johan Malmberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells may respond better on second antigen encounters, but how this memory is induced or maintained in vivo is not clear. Here the authors show that memory NK cells expressing interleukin-7 (IL-7) receptor are induced in the lymph nodes but later recruited to liver for long term, IL-7 dependent survival and memory maintenance.

    • Xianwei Wang
    • , Hui Peng
    •  & Zhigang Tian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glutamine can feed into the TCA cycle as a fuel for oxidative phosphorylation and thereby can affect metabolic pathways in lymphocytes. Yet here the authors show that glutamine serves predominantly as a signalling molecule that sustains cMyc expression to control NK cell metabolism and effector function.

    • Róisín M. Loftus
    • , Nadine Assmann
    •  & David K. Finlay

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer (NK) cells are important for eliminating cells under stress or infected by virus, and may have a function in anti-HIV immunity. Here the authors show that different NK-activating stimuli induce distinct transcriptional fingerprints in human NK cells that are analogous to changes caused by HIV vaccination or chronic infection.

    • Margaret C. Costanzo
    • , Dohoon Kim
    •  & Michael A. Eller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer (NK) cells has been show to mediate fungi killing via the activating receptor NKp30, but the fungal target for NKp30 is still unclear. Here the authors show, using atomic force microscopy and live cell imaging, that β-1,3-glucan is expressed by Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans and responsible for NKp30-mediated NK killing.

    • Shu Shun Li
    • , Henry Ogbomo
    •  & Christopher H. Mody

  • Article
    | Open Access

    IL-15 signals through STAT5 to modulate natural killer (NK) cell maturation, function and homeostasis, but the specific contributions of STAT5 dimers and tetramers are still unclear. Here the authors show that, while STAT5 dimers are sufficient for NK development, STAT5 tetramers are essential for NK homoeostasis by modulating apoptosis.

    • Jian-Xin Lin
    • , Ning Du
    •  & Warren J. Leonard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    CD226 is an activating receptor expressed in a co-varied manner with inhibitory receptors on natural killer (NK) cells, but whether CD226 is involved in NK cell education is unclear. Here the authors show that CD226 expression is plastic depending on the MHC environment and endows educated NK cells enhanced effector functions.

    • Arnika K. Wagner
    • , Nadir Kadri
    •  & Benedict J. Chambers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Smad3, a transcription factor activated by TGF-β, has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Here the authors show that Smad3 inhibits NK cell differentiation and effector function by repressing NFIL3, and that genetic or pharmacological blockade of Smad3 expands tumour-suppressive NK cells and restricts tumour growth in mice.

    • Patrick Ming-Kuen Tang
    • , Shuang Zhou
    •  & Hui-Yao Lan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Expression of NKG2D immunoreceptor ligands on tumour cells is believed to inhibit tumour growth through engaging NKG2D-expressing immune cells. Here, the authors show that in a model of liver cancer the NKG2D/NKG2D-ligand pathway can also promote tumour formation by sustaining an inflammatory environment.

    • Sam Sheppard
    • , Joana Guedes
    •  & Nadia Guerra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NK cell activation requires multiple signals. Here the authors show that while NKG2D, 2B4, or DNAM-1 receptor activation is insufficient to induce cytokine production, these signals synergize by Vav-1-mediated NF-κB multiphosphorylation, and this signaling checkpoint is defective in X-linked lymphoproliferative disease.

    • Hyung-Joon Kwon
    • , Go-Eun Choi
    •  & Hun Sik Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strong Notch signalling promotes initial T cell lineage specification of lymphoid progenitors but is also permissive for thymic natural killer (NK) cell development. Here the authors show that GATA3 directs human T-lineage commitment by modulating Notch activity and repressing the NK programme.

    • Inge Van de Walle
    • , Anne-Catherine Dolens
    •  & Tom Taghon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells of acute myeloid leukaemia patients lack cytotoxic activity. Here the authors show that these cells have elevated GSK3β, and that its inhibition prolongs survival of mice transplanted with human AML and stimulates NK cytotoxicity via increased adhesion of NK cells to their targets.

    • Reshmi Parameswaran
    • , Parameswaran Ramakrishnan
    •  & David N. Wald

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells are a major component of the innate immune response. Here, Wang et al. show that natural killer cell development requires robust activation of autophagy at the immature stage where it acts to remove damaged mitochondria and reduces levels of reactive oxygen species.

    • Shuo Wang
    • , Pengyan Xia
    •  & Zusen Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Decidual natural killer (NK) cells from the pregnant uterus play an important role in the physiology of pregnancy and differ functionally from peripheral blood NK cells. Siewiera et al. reveal that this is partly due to the differential expression of splice variants of natural cytotoxicity receptors by these two cell subsets.

    • Johan Siewiera
    • , Jordi Gouilly
    •  & Nabila Jabrane-Ferrat

  • Article |

    Mcl-1 is an important survival factor for several hematopoietic lineages including B and T lymphocytes, but its role in the Natural Killer (NK) cells has not been previously tested. Here, the authors report that deletion of Mcl-1 in the NK cell lineage leads to the loss of NK cells from all tissues.

    • Priyanka Sathe
    • , Rebecca B. Delconte
    •  & Nicholas D. Huntington

  • Article |

    The expression of stress-induced ligands and their recognition by the NKG2D-activating receptor is important for the elimination of virally infected and cancerous cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. Here, the authors provide insights into the post-transcriptional mechanism regulating the expression of the NKG2D ligand, MICB.

    • Daphna Nachmani
    • , Tony Gutschner
    •  & Ofer Mandelboim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NK cells are involved in remodelling of the uterine vasculature during pregnancy and the extent of this process is influenced by the combination of maternal NK cell receptors and MHC-I of the fetus. Here, the authors provide further insights into how the presence of MHC-I from each parent differentially affects NK cell function.

    • Jens Kieckbusch
    • , Louise M. Gaynor
    •  & Francesco Colucci

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 regulates many physiological functions including growth and metabolism. Ni et al.show that human natural killer cells secrete IGF-1 and that IGF-1 enhances the development and cytotoxicity of these cells.

    • Fang Ni
    • , Rui Sun
    •  & Haiming Wei

Browse broader subjects

Browse NK cells across other nature.com journals