1. Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Blood Research Institute, 8727 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; ; 2. Departments of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
J Cancer. 2013;4(1):25-35. doi: 10.7150/jca.5049. Epub 2012 Dec 5.
Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the first cells to recover following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and are believed to play an important role in facilitating engraftment or preventing post-transplant infection and tumor recurrence. Recent studies have provided novel insights into the mechanisms by which NK cells mediate these highly clinically relevant immunological functions. In particular, the ability of NK cells to reduce the risk of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and increase the graft versus leukemia effect (GVL) in the setting of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical HSCT highlights their clinical potentials. NK cells also mediate anti-viral protection, in particular against cytomegalovirus (CMV), an infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality following transplant. Another crucial function of NK cells is providing protection against bacterial infections at the mucosal barriers. NK cells achieve this by promoting anti-microbial defenses and regeneration of epithelial cells. These recent exciting findings provide a strong basis for the formulation of novel NK cell-based immunotherapies. In this review, we summarize the recent advances related to the mechanisms, functions, and future clinical prospects of NK cells that can impact post-transplant outcomes.
自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞是异基因造血干细胞移植 (HSCT) 后最早恢复的细胞之一，被认为在促进植入或预防移植后感染和肿瘤复发方面发挥重要作用。最近的研究为 NK 细胞介导这些具有高度临床相关性的免疫功能的机制提供了新的见解。特别是在人类白细胞抗原 (HLA)-单倍体 HSCT 中，NK 细胞能够降低移植物抗宿主病 (GVHD) 的风险并增加移植物抗白血病效应 (GVL)，这凸显了它们的临床潜力。NK 细胞还介导抗病毒保护，特别是针对巨细胞病毒 (CMV)，这种感染在移植后会导致严重的发病率和死亡率。NK 细胞的另一个关键功能是在黏膜屏障处提供针对细菌感染的保护。NK 细胞通过促进抗菌防御和上皮细胞的再生来实现这一点。这些最近令人兴奋的发现为制定新型基于 NK 细胞的免疫疗法提供了坚实的基础。在这篇综述中，我们总结了与 NK 细胞的机制、功能和未来临床前景相关的最新进展，这些进展可能会影响移植后的结果。
