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Review
. 2023 Jul 1;30(4):106-116.
doi: 10.1097/MOH.0000000000000765. Epub 2023 Apr 18.

Deficits in our understanding of natural killer cell development in mouse and human

Christopher Schorr  1   2 , Maya Shraddha Krishnan  1   3 , Maegan Capitano  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Deficits in our understanding of natural killer cell development in mouse and human

Christopher Schorr et al. Curr Opin Hematol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of immune cell that play a crucial role in the defense against cancer and viral infections. The development and maturation of NK cells is a complex process, involving the coordination of various signaling pathways, transcription factors, and epigenetic modifications. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying the development of NK cells. In this review, we discuss the field's current understanding of the journey a hematopoietic stem cell takes to become a fully mature NK cell and detail the sequential steps and regulation of conventional NK leukopoiesis in both mice and humans.

Recent findings: Recent studies have highlighted the significance of defining NK development stages. Several groups report differing schema to identify NK cell development and new findings demonstrate novel ways to classify NK cells. Further investigation of NK cell biology and development is needed, as multiomic analysis reveals a large diversity in NK cell development pathways.

Summary: We provide an overview of current knowledge on the development of NK cells, including the various stages of differentiation, the regulation of development, and the maturation of NK cells in both mice and humans. A deeper understanding of NK cell development has the potential to provide insights into new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and viral infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interests

No conflict of interests exists.

Figures

Fig 1:
Fig 1:. Distinctive Markers of NK cell Differentiation in Humans and Mice.
NK cell development in human and mouse with distinct markers listed to delineate stages of progression from HSC to terminal mature NK cell.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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