Human CD8+ T-Cell Populations That Express Natural Killer Receptors
- Author:
June-Young KOH
1
;
Dong-Uk KIM
;
Bae-Hyeon MOON
;
Eui-Cheol SHIN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review Article
- From:Immune Network 2023;23(1):e8-
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: CD8+ T cells are activated by TCRs that recognize specific cognate Ags, while NK-cell activation is regulated by a balance between signals from germline-encoded activating and inhibitory NK receptors. Through these different processes of Ag recognition, CD8+ T cells and NK cells play distinct roles as adaptive and innate immune cells, respectively. However, some human CD8+ T cells have been found to express activating or inhibitory NK receptors. CD8+ T-cell populations expressing NK receptors straddle the innate-adaptive boundary with their innate-like features. Recent breakthrough technical advances in multi-omics analysis have enabled elucidation of the unique immunologic characteristics of these populations. However, studies have not yet fully clarified the heterogeneity and immunological characteristics of each CD8+ T-cell population expressing NK receptors. Here we aimed to review the current knowledge of various CD8+ T-cell populations expressing NK receptors, and to pave the way for delineating the landscape and identifying the various roles of these T-cell populations.
