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Natural Killer Cells pp 241–254Cite as

NK Cells in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

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Abstract

The evidence of NK cell implication in human diseases has initially been shown for antiviral immunity and tumor surveillance. Nowadays, increased attention is being paid to the aspect of NK cells and innate immunity in studies on autoimmune diseases. However, despite a growing knowledge on NK cell function and regulation, their role in human autoimmune disease still remains controversial. In animal models, studies of NK cells have shown conflicting results toward a disease-promoting or disease-protective role. Similarly, in human diseases, available data suggest an unequivocal role of NK cells. Yet, the understanding of NK cell implication in human diseases is far from being achieved. We review here the current knowledge on NK cell biology in human autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and discuss their possible mechanisms of action in these complex pathologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, CHRU de Marseille, Marseille, France

    Nicolas Schleinitz & Jean-Robert Harle

  2. Laboratory of general and specialized Biochemistry, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Strasbourg, France

    Nassim Dali-Youcef

  3. Laboratoire d’Immunogénétique-Allergologie, Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé (CRP-Santé) de Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Jacques Zimmer

  4. Service de Médecine Interne, Diabète et Maladies Métaboliques, Clinique Médicale B, Hôpital Civil – Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1 porte de l’Hôpital, 67091, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    Emmanuel Andres

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Correspondence to Emmanuel Andres .

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  1. Lab. Immuno-Allergologie, Centre de Recherche Public, Val Fleuri 84, Luxembourg, 1526, Luxembourg

    Jacques Zimmer

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Schleinitz, N., Dali-Youcef, N., Harle, JR., Zimmer, J., Andres, E. (2010). NK Cells in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases. In: Zimmer, J. (eds) Natural Killer Cells. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02309-5_12

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