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Keeping on the topic of natural killer cells, Jordan Orange, MD, PhD contributes a review on immunodeficiencies associated with NK cell dysfunction [ J Allergy Clin Immunol 2013; 132(3):515-525 ].  The author provides a concise review of NK cell biology, covering their intrinsic activities of cytotoxicity, tumor surveillance, and co-stimulation and signaling.  Orange points out that NK cell deficiency [NKD] is a subset of primary immunodeficiency diseases [PID] that is difficult to diagnose and treat because of the limited clinical information and testing available.  Like other PID, the author notes that NKD patients are characterized by a susceptibility to chronic and/or severe viral infections, especially herpes viruses.  Accurate diagnosis hinges on determining that the seminal deficiency is associated with NK cells, and that NKD is not secondary to other causes. The author provides an algorithm for identifying primary NKD.  Orange discusses the current class...

This month, Deniz et al. give an overview of current knowledge about natural killer cells [NK cells] and their interface with pathways and mechanisms of adaptive immunity, with attention to allergic disease processes [ J Allergy Clin Immunol 2013; 132(3):527-535 ].  The authors cover fundamentals of NK biology, such as their surface marker characterization, IFN-γ secretion, MHC class I interactions, phenotypes, tissue prevalence, cytokine profiles, and cytotoxicity to target cells.  NK cells are characterized by their cytotoxic activity through release of perforin and granzymes that are targeted at tumor cells, virally infected cells, and IgG antibody expressing cells, cytokine and chemokine secretion and signaling of adaptive immune cells, and co-stimulatory interaction with antigen presenting cells [APC] via IL-10 and TGF-β.   Deniz et al. note that NK chemokine secretion is particularly important in the co-localization and mutual maturation of dendritic cells [DC]...