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PMID: 19637199 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Natural killer cells remember: an evolutionary bridge between innate and adaptive immunity?

European journal of immunology ·Vol. 39 ·No. 8 ·2009-08-00 ·Pages 2059-64

Sun JC, Lanier LL

Abstract

Since their discovery three decades ago, NK cells have been classified as cells of the innate immune system. NK cells were shown to respond rapidly and non-specifically to infection, and were thought to act as a functional "bridge" to sustain the early innate immune response until the later adaptive immune responses could be mounted. In light of new findings showing how NK cells possess nearly all of the features of adaptive immunity including memory, we propose the placement of NK cells as an "evolutionary bridge" between innate and adaptive immunity.

MeSH Terms
Animals B-Lymphocytes/immunology Disease Models, Animal Humans Immunity, Innate/immunology Immunologic Memory/immunology Infections/immunology Killer Cells, Natural/immunology Models, Immunological T-Lymphocytes/immunology
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Sun Joseph C
Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Cancer Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0414, USA.
Lanier Lewis L
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Article Info
Journal
European journal of immunology
Abbr.
Eur J Immunol
ISSN
1521-4141
DOI
10.1002/eji.200939435
Published
2009-08-00
Pages
2059-64
Language
English
Region
Germany
NLM ID
1273201
PMCID
PMC2819266
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI066897 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · CA095137 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI64520 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · P01 AI064520-050002 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R37 AI066897-06 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R01 AI068129 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R37 AI066897 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA095137 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI068129 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · P01 AI064520 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA095137-06 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R01 AI068129-10 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1002/eji.200939435 PMC Full Text View journal details
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