Immune function of nk cells in cancer and their exploitation in immunotherapeutic

Authors

  • Panyam Dharani Priyadarshini Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 5th mile, Pulladigunta, Guntur-522017, Andhra Pradesh, India

Keywords:

Natural Killer Cell, Innate Immunity, Cancer Immunotherapy, Tumor Progression

Abstract

Natural Killer (NK) cells are a type of immune cell that plays a crucial role in defending against tumors and viruses. As part of the innate immune system, NK cells recognize and destroy abnormal cells, preventing tumor development. They are activated upon recognizing abnormal cells and work to eliminate them. Recent research has highlighted the complexity of NK cell responses, including the existence of memory and memory-like NK cell subsets with distinct characteristics and functions. These subsets have been shown to play a key role in immunosurveillance, recognizing and eliminating abnormal cells. NK cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that produce inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. They are capable of recognizing and destroying transformed or infected cells, making them a key component of the immune response. The role of NK cells in immunity to tumors and viruses has been extensively studied. Research has shown that NK cells are able to recognize and eliminate cancer cells, and that they play a key role in preventing tumor development.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Kiessling R, Klein E, Wigzell H. „Natural” ︁ killer cells in the mouse. I. Cytotoxic cells with specificity for mouse Moloney leukemia cells. Specificity and distribution according to genotype. European journal of immunology. 1975 Feb;5(2):112-7.

https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.1830050208

Kiessling R, Petranyi G, Klein G, Wigzell H. Genetic variation of in vitro cytolytic activity and in vivo rejection potential of non‐immunized semi‐syngeneic mice against a mouse lymphoma line. International journal of cancer. 1975 Jun 15;15(6):933-40.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.2910150608

Savoy SK, Boudreau JE. The evolutionary arms race between virus and NK cells: diversity enables population-level virus control. Viruses. 2019 Oct 17;11(10):959

https://doi.org/10.3390/v11100959

Wu SY, Fu T, Jiang YZ, Shao ZM. Natural killer cells in cancer biology and therapy. Molecular cancer. 2020 Dec;19:1-26.

Liu M, Liang S, Zhang C. NK cells in autoimmune diseases: protective or pathogenic?. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021 Mar 12;12:624687.

Kucuksezer UC, Aktas Cetin E, Esen F, Tahrali I, Akdeniz N, Gelmez MY, Deniz G. The role of natural killer cells in autoimmune diseases. Frontiers in immunology. 2021 Feb 25;12:622306.

Li Y, Wang F, Imani S, Tao L, Deng Y, Cai Y. Natural killer cells: friend or foe in metabolic diseases?. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021 Feb 24;12:614429.

Siegel RL, Miller KD, Fuchs HE, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2022. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians. 2022 Jan;72(1):7-33.

https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21654

Canfell K, Kim JJ, Brisson M, Keane A, Simms KT, Caruana M, Burger EA, Martin D, Nguyen DT, Bénard É, Sy S. Mortality impact of achieving WHO cervical cancer elimination targets: a comparative modelling analysis in 78 low-income and lower-middle-income countries. The Lancet. 2020 Feb 22;395(10224):591-603.

Hutchinson MK, Mierzwa M, D’Silva NJ. Radiation resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: dire need for an appropriate sensitizer. Oncogene. 2020 Apr 30;39(18):3638-49.

Min HY, Lee HY. Mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer. Archives of pharmacal research. 2021 Feb;44(2):146-64.

Fujitani T, Takahara T, Hattori H, Imajo Y, Ogasawara H. Radiochemotherapy for non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in palatine tonsil. Cancer. 1984 Oct 1;54(7):1288-92.

https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0142(19841001)54:7%3C1288::AID-CNCR2820540710%3E3.0.CO;2-U

Laughney AM, Hu J, Campbell NR, Bakhoum SF, Setty M, Lavallée VP, Xie Y, Masilionis I, Carr AJ, Kottapalli S, Allaj V. Regenerative lineages and immune-mediated pruning in lung cancer metastasis. Nature medicine. 2020 Feb;26(2):259-69.

Chulpanova DS, Kitaeva KV, Green AR, Rizvanov AA, Solovyeva VV. Molecular aspects and future perspectives of cytokine-based anti-cancer immunotherapy. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology. 2020 Jun 3;8:402.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00402

Panda A, Arjona A, Sapey E, Bai F, Fikrig E, Montgomery RR, Lord JM, Shaw AC. Human innate immunosenescence: causes and consequences for immunity in old age. Trends in immunology. 2009 Jul 1;30(7):325-33.

. Cheng M, Chen Y, Xiao W, Sun R, Tian Z. NK cell-based immunotherapy for malignant diseases. Cellular & molecular immunology. 2013 May;10(3):230-52.

Cheng M, Chen Y, Xiao W, Sun R, Tian Z. NK cell-based immunotherapy for malignant diseases. Cellular & molecular immunology. 2013 May;10(3):230-52.

Yokoyama WM, Kim S, French AR. The dynamic life of natural killer cells. Annu. Rev. Immunol.. 2004 Apr 23;22(1):405-29.

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.immunol.22.012703.104711

Vivier E, Tomasello E, Baratin M, Walzer T, Ugolini S. Functions of natural killer cells. Nature immunology. 2008 May;9(5):503-10.

Caligiuri MA. Human natural killer cells. Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology. 2008 Aug 1;112(3):461-9.

https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2007-09-077438

Kiessling R, Klein E, Wigzell H. „Natural” ︁ killer cells in the mouse. I. Cytotoxic cells with specificity for mouse Moloney leukemia cells. Specificity and distribution according to genotype. European journal of immunology. 1975 Feb;5(2):112-7.

https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.1830050208

Yang C, Siebert JR, Burns R, Zheng Y, Mei A, Bonacci B, Wang D, Urrutia RA, Riese MJ, Rao S, Carlson KS. Single-cell transcriptome reveals the novel role of T-bet in suppressing the immature NK gene signature. Elife. 2020 May 14;9:e51339.

Sun H, Sun C, Tian Z, Xiao W. NK cells in immunotolerant organs. Cellular & molecular immunology. 2013 May;10(3):202-12.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.51339

Cooley S, Xiao F, Pitt M, Gleason M, McCullar V, Bergemann TL, McQueen KL, Guethlein LA, Parham P, Miller JS. A subpopulation of human peripheral blood NK cells that lacks inhibitory receptors for self-MHC is developmentally immature. Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology. 2007 Jul 15;110(2):578-86..

https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2006-07-036228

Sungur CM, Tang-Feldman YJ, Ames E, Alvarez M, Chen M, Longo DL, Pomeroy C, Murphy WJ. Murine natural killer cell licensing and regulation by T regulatory cells in viral responses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2013 Apr 30;110(18):7401-6..

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1218767110

Published

31-07-2025

How to Cite

Panyam, D. (2025). Immune function of nk cells in cancer and their exploitation in immunotherapeutic. International Journal of Current Innovations in Advanced Research, 8(2), 34–39. Retrieved from https://ijciar.com/index.php/journal/article/view/204

Issue

Section

Review Articles