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The Lytic NK Cell Immunological Synapse and Sequential Steps in Its Formation

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Immune-Mediated Diseases

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 601))

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system that are critical in host defense. They are best known for their ability to mediate cytotoxicity, which involves a coordinated series of events resulting in the directed secretion of lytic granules onto a target cell. This process requires the formation of an immunological synapse in NK cells. The NK cell immunological synapse involves the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and clustering of certain cell surface receptors in the NK cell at the interface with the target cell. The lytic NK cell immunological synapse, specialized for mediating cytotoxicity, is further distinguished by the polarization of lytic granules, which are then secreted through this region onto the target cell. These events unfold in a definitive sequence and lead to critical checkpoints that provide regulatory control at specific stages in the formation of the NK cell lytic synapse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jordan S. Orange

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Correspondence to Jordan S. Orange .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical Immunopathology, 5725 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Main Tower, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Michael R. Shurin (Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Associate Director) (Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Associate Director)

  2. Institute for Continuing Medical Education, Russian Association of Pediatric Allergology and Immunology, Clinical and Research Center of Allergy and Immunology, Ostrovitianova St., Bldg. 6, Moscow, 117513, Russia

    Yuri S. Smolkin (Professor of Immunology, Vise-President, Director) (Professor of Immunology, Vise-President, Director)

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Orange, J.S. (2007). The Lytic NK Cell Immunological Synapse and Sequential Steps in Its Formation. In: Shurin, M.R., Smolkin, Y.S. (eds) Immune-Mediated Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 601. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-72005-0_23

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