T-cell tolerance is mandatory for major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched stem-cell transplantation without cytoreduction. Here, we used a cytotoxicity assay based on the infusion of differentially carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-labeled syngeneic and donor splenocytes to determine the survival of donor cells in vivo. In vivo cytotoxicity data showed that treatment with a...

Objective: Natural Killer (NK) cells are classified into different phenotypes according to the expression of the surface markers CD56 and CD16. Each NK cell phenotype has a role in the immune response through cytotoxic activity or cytokine production. Reduced NK cell cytotoxic activity is a consistent finding in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and inves...

IFN-producing killer dendritic cells (IKDC) represent a recently discovered cell type in the immune system that possesses a number of functions contributing to innate and adaptive immunity, including production of type 1 and 2 IFNs, interleukin (IL)-12, natural killing, and ultimately antigen presentation to naïve T cells. Here, we compared in vitro and in vivo responses of mouse IKDC, conventi...

Background: Alteration in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) is usually investigated to provide an evidence of the host immune responses to tumor antigens. The tumor infiltrating NK cells interact most closely with the tumor cells and more accurately reflect tumor host interactions. Objective: To analyze peripheral blood and tumor associated Natural Killer (NK) cells in patients with breast ca...

Melanomas are aggressive skin tumors characterized by high metastatic potential. Immunotherapy is a valuable alternative for metastatic melanoma patients resistant to chemotherapy. Natural Killer (NK) cells are efficient anti-tumor cytotoxic effectors. We previously showed that blood NK cells from stage IV metastatic melanoma patients display decreased NK receptors and that chemotherapy modifie...

Natural killer (NK)/lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell-based immunotherapy could be beneficial against major histocompatibility complex class I-negative tumor residual disease such as neuroblastoma (NB), provided that interleukin 2 (IL-2) or surrogate nontoxic NK cell stimulatory factors could sustain NK cell activation and survival in vivo. Here we show that human monocyte-derived dendriti...

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) recognition of specific human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I allotypes contributes to the array of receptor-ligand interactions that determine natural killer (NK) cell response to its target. Contrasting genetic effects of KIR/HLA combinations have been observed in infectious and autoimmune diseases, where genotypes associated with N...

To systematically define molecular features in human tumor cells that determine their degree of sensitivity to allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells, we quantified the NK cell responsiveness hundreds molecularly annotated ‘DNA-barcoded’ solid lines multiplexed format and applied genome-scale CRISPR-based gene-editing screens several lines, functionally interrogate which genes regulate response c...