Natural Killer (NK) Cells from Killers to Regulators: Distinct Features Between Peripheral Blood and Decidual NK Cells

Authors: Santoni, Angela; Zingoni, Alessandra¹; Cerboni, Cristina¹; Gismondi, Angela¹

Source: American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, Volume 58, Number 3, September 2007 , pp. 280-288(9)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

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Abstract:

Natural killer (NK) cells are a key component of innate immunity, particularly crucial during the early phase of immune responses against certain viruses, parasites, and microbial pathogens. The role of NK cell during pregnancy has been vividly discussed over the past years and it is now becoming increasingly clear that NK cells control pregnancy maintenance at several levels. In normal pregnancy, it appears that they provide benefit by properly secreting cytokines, chemokines and angiogenic factors rather than functioning as cytotoxic effector cells. However, as they are endowed with all the cytolytic weapons, they promptly become capable of attacking fetal and maternal tissues during infection and inflammation.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; chemokines; cytokines; migration; natural killer cells; uterine NK cells

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2007.00513.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Experimental Medicine;

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