ArticlePloS one2012
Macrophages help NK cells to attack tumor cells by stimulatory NKG2D ligand but protect themselves from NK killing by inhibitory ligand Qa-1.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Modulation of tumor-associated macrophage activity with radiation therapy: a systematic review.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2023Pooled it
- Targeting macrophage-driven NK cell immunosuppression to improve cancer immunotherapy.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Review
- NK cell hyperactivation drives macrophage repolarization and limits M2 bias in pemphigus vulgaris.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- The metabolic environment within solid tumors drives a complex crosstalk between macrophages and NK cells.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Article
- Natural killer cells: the immune frontline against circulating tumor cells.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2025Review
- Article
- Enhancing natural killer cell anti-tumour activity through macrophage manipulation.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Unlocking the therapeutic potential of the NKG2A-HLA-E immune checkpoint pathway in T cells and NK cells for cancer immunotherapy.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2024Review
- Natural Killer cells at the frontline in the fight against cancer.Cell death & disease · 2024Review
- Tumour-associated macrophages as a potential target to improve natural killer cell-based immunotherapies.Essays in biochemistry · 2023Article
- In Vivo Zymosan Treatment Induces IL15-Secreting Macrophages and KLRG1-Expressing NK Cells in Mice.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- NK Cells in Cancer: Mechanisms of Dysfunction and Therapeutic Potential.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Accessory cells precondition naïve T cells and regulatory T cells for cytokine-mediated proliferation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Interaction of tumor‑associated macrophages with stromal and immune components in solid tumors: Research progress (Review).International journal of oncology · 2023Review
- Dynamic polarization of tumor-associated macrophages and their interaction with intratumoral T cells in an inflamed tumor microenvironment: from mechanistic insights to therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Exchange of cellular components between platelets and tumor cells: impact on tumor cells behavior.Theranostics · 2022Article
- Bringing Macrophages to the Frontline against Cancer: Current Immunotherapies Targeting Macrophages.Cells · 2021Review
- ASK1 suppresses NK cell-mediated intravascular tumor cell clearance in lung metastasis.Cancer science · 2021Article
- NK Cell Anti-Tumor Surveillance in a Myeloid Cell-Shaped Environment.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells and their crosstalk with other immune cells are important for innate immunity against tumor. To explore the role of the interaction between NK cells and macrophages in the regulation of anti-tumor activities of NK cells, we here demonstrate that poly I:C-treated macrophages increased NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against target tumor cells in NKG2D-dependent manner. In addition, IL-15, IL-18, and IFN-β secreted by poly I:C-treated macrophages are also involved in NKG2D expression and NK cell activation. Interestingly, the increase in expression of NKG2D ligands on macrophages induced a highly NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor cells, but not against macrophages themselves. Notably, a high expression level of Qa-1, a NKG2A ligand, on macrophages may contribute to such protection of macrophages from NK cell-mediated killing. Furthermore, Qa-1 or NKG2A knockdown and Qa-1 antibody blockade caused the macrophages to be sensitive to NK cytolysis. These results suggested that macrophages may activate NK cells to attack tumor by NKG2D recognition whereas macrophages protect themselves from NK lysis via preferential expression of Qa-1.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.