Trends in Microbiome and Digital One Health

Natural Killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that deliver an immune response against infectious diseases and cancer. They develop in the bone marrow before they migrate to peripheral organs to protect the host from microbial infection and malignancies. The differentiation of NK cells from hematopoietic stem cells is coordinated by a set of transcription factors and the controlled expression of specific chemokine receptors orchestrate their migration and homing. NK cells express a set of activating and inhibitory receptors on their cell surface that allows them to diagnose their surrounding environment to distinguish a healthy cell from a diseased cell and execute their effector functions. Here, we delve into key factors that are required for the development and function of NK cells and different mechanisms of action of these cells. Finally, we look at how NK cells can be genetically manipulated to gain new functions, with a particular attention into the development of a novel soluble fusion protein that can boost the cytotoxic function of NK cells against cancer.