Natural Killer Cells in Kidney Health and Disease

TY - JOUR

T1 - Natural Killer Cells in Kidney Health and Disease

AU - Turner, Jan-Eric

AU - Rickassel, Constantin

AU - Healy, Helen

AU - Kassianos, Andrew J

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Natural killer (NK) cells are a specialized population of innate lymphocytes that have a major effector function in local immune responses. While their immunological functions in many inflammatory diseases are well established, comparatively little is still known about their roles in kidney homeostasis and disease. Our understanding of kidney NK cells is rapidly evolving, with murine studies highlighting the functional significance of NK cells in acute and chronic forms of renal disease. Recent progress has been made in translating these murine findings to human kidneys, with indications of NK cell subset-specific roles in disease progression in both native and allograft kidneys. Clearly, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving NK cell activation and importantly, their downstream interactions with intrinsic renal cells and infiltrating immune cells is necessary for the development of targeted therapeutics to halt disease progression. In this review, we discuss the properties and potential functions of kidney NK cells.

AB - Natural killer (NK) cells are a specialized population of innate lymphocytes that have a major effector function in local immune responses. While their immunological functions in many inflammatory diseases are well established, comparatively little is still known about their roles in kidney homeostasis and disease. Our understanding of kidney NK cells is rapidly evolving, with murine studies highlighting the functional significance of NK cells in acute and chronic forms of renal disease. Recent progress has been made in translating these murine findings to human kidneys, with indications of NK cell subset-specific roles in disease progression in both native and allograft kidneys. Clearly, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving NK cell activation and importantly, their downstream interactions with intrinsic renal cells and infiltrating immune cells is necessary for the development of targeted therapeutics to halt disease progression. In this review, we discuss the properties and potential functions of kidney NK cells.

U2 - 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00587

DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00587

M3 - SCORING: Review article

C2 - 30972076

VL - 10

SP - 587

JO - FRONT IMMUNOL

JF - FRONT IMMUNOL

SN - 1664-3224

ER -