Advances in NK Cell Receptors and Their Ligands
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 32125
Special Issue Editors
Interests: innate immunity; natural killer cells; mast cells; allergy; tumor immunology; signal transduction; microvesicles
Interests: innate immunity; innate receptor signaling; post-translational regulation; ubiquitination; receptor endocytosis
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of highly sophisticated innate lymphocytes endowed with a potent and rapid cytotoxicity against infected and transformed cells and the capability to release cytokine and chemokine with immunomodulatory functions. Over the past two decades, new insights into NK cell functions in immune surveillance has been provided by our understanding of what and how NK cell “see” a potential target cell. Recognition by NK cells involves the action of several distinct receptors for Major Hystocompatibility class I molecules (MHC-I) able to simultaneuosly deliver activating and inhibitory signals whose balance determine the functional outcome. Inhibitory receptors prevent NK cells from killing healthy cells by MHC-I ligand recognition, while activating receptors bind to MHC-I related ligands specifically induced or up-regulated on damaged cells promoting their lysis. However, transformed and infected cells can evade recognition and destruction by NK cells through the down-modulation of activating ligands and the up-regulation of ligands for inhibitory receptors. Furthermore, down-modulation of NK cell receptors, often occurring upon engagement by their respective ligands, can contribute to impair the ability of NK cells to eliminate dangerous cells.
This Special Issue welcome submissions of research articles or reviews focused on: 1) receptors acquired during NK cell development; 2) receptors express on different NK cell subsets; 3) signals initiated by activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors; 4) molecular mechanisms regulating expression of NK cell receptors and their ligands in transformed and infected cells.
Prof. Rossella Paolini
Dr. Rosa Molfetta
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Natural killer (NK) cells
- NK cell activating/inhibitory receptors
- NK cell ligands
- NK cell receptor-mediated signaling