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NATURAL KILLER CELLS IN ANTIVIRAL DEFENSE: Function and Regulation by Innate Cytokines
Ist Teil von
Annual review of immunology, 1999-01, Vol.17 (1), p.189-220
Ort / Verlag
Palo Alto, CA 94303-0139: Annual Reviews
Erscheinungsjahr
1999
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
MEDLINE
Beschreibungen/Notizen
Natural killer (NK) cells are populations of lymphocytes that can be
activated to mediate significant levels of cytotoxic activity and produce high
levels of certain cytokines and chemokines. NK cells respond to and are
important in defense against a number of different infectious agents. The first
indications for this function came from the observations that virus-induced
interferons α/β (IFN-α and -β) are potent inducers of NK
cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and that NK cells are important contributors to
innate defense against viral infections. In addition to IFN-α/β, a
wide range of other innate cytokines can mediate biological functions
regulating the NK cell responses of cytotoxicity, proliferation, and gamma
interferon (IFN-γ) production. Certain, but not all, viral infections
induce interleukin 12 (IL-12) to elicit NK cell IFN-γ production and
antiviral mechanisms. However, high levels of IFN-α/β appear to be
unique and/or uniquely dominant in the context of viral infections and act to
regulate other innate responses, including induction of NK cell proliferation
in vivo and overall negative regulation of IL-12 production. A detailed picture
is developing of particular innate cytokines activating NK cell responses and
their consorted effects in providing unique endogenous milieus promoting
downstream adaptive responses, most beneficial in defense against viral
infections.