Natural killer cells are the key effector cells in innate immune response,playing the role in pathogen clearance and tumor immunosurveillance by cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity.Hematopoietic stem cells go through developmental intermediates to generate mature NK cells under the progressive regulation of extrinsic factors and intrinsic factors.In the past thirty years, great progresses have been made in the developmental progress,niches,regulation of NK cells and the relationship between NK cells and dis-eases.In this review,we will discuss in detail the molecular mechanisms of NK cell development and the diseases caused by functional compromise of NK cells.

Objective To investigate analgesic effects of the selective blocking of descending facilitation targeting μ opioid receptor positive neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla ( RVM) in a rat model of bone cancer pain. Methods Forty-eight adult female Wistar rats weighing 180-200 g were randomly divided into 6 groups: group Ⅰ control ( n = 3) ;group Ⅱ bone cancer pain induced by intra-tibia inoculation of Walker 256 mammary gland carcinoma cells ( n = 9) ;group Ⅲ-Ⅵ received a single intra-RVM micro-injection of PBS (group Ⅲ), dermorphin (group Ⅳ) , saporin (group Ⅴ) and dermorphin-saporin ( group Ⅵ) respectively at 28 days before intra-tibia inoculation ( n = 9 each) . Starting from 3 to 20 days after intra-tibia inoculation, mechanical allodynia was assessed and recorded. The animals were sacrificed on 7, 14 and 20 days after intra-tibia inoculation, after repetitive non-noxious tactile stimulation of the hindpaw. The total number of Fos-positive neurons in the spinal dorsal horn was measured as a marker indicative of central sensitization. Results The animals developed nociceptive hypersensitivity after intra-tibia cancer cell inoculation in group Ⅱ -Ⅵ . Nociceptive hypersensitivity was significantly decreased during 4-7 days after the onset of nociception in group Ⅵ (dermorphin-saporin). The number of Fos positive neurons in bilateral spinal dorsal horn was significantly increased by intra-tibia inoculation of cancer cells in group Ⅱ-Ⅵ as compared with control group and was significantly lower at day 14 and 20 after inoculation in group Ⅵ (dermorphin-saporin) than in group Ⅱ - Ⅴ.Conclusion Selective blocking of descending facilitation targeting μ opioid receptor positive neurons in RVM can effectively reduce nociceptive hypersensitivity induced by intra-tibia inoculation of Walker56 mammary gland carcinoma cells.

γδ T cells display unique developmental, distributional, and functional patterns and can rapidly respond to various insults and contribute to diverse diseases. Different subtypes of γδ T cells are produced in the thymus prior to their migration to peripheral tissues. γδ T cells are enriched in the liver and exhibit liver-specific features. Accumulating evidence reveals that γδ T cells play important roles in liver infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and liver cancer and regeneration. In this study, we review the properties of hepatic γδ T cells and summarize the roles of γδ T cells in liver diseases. We believe that determining the properties and functions of γδ T cells in liver diseases enhances our understanding of the pathogenesis of liver diseases and is useful for the design of novel γδ T cell-based therapeutic regimens for liver diseases.
Animals ; Cytokines ; immunology ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Liver Regeneration ; immunology ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology