ReviewFrontiers in immunology2021
NK Cells in a
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in cancer: biology, regulatory networks and theranostic prospects.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- EBV hijacks the metabolic function of CD73 to resist the antitumor function of NK cells.NPJ precision oncology · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial transfer between tumor and immune cells: a nexus of metabolic adaptation and immune dysfunction.Biomarker research · 2026Review
- Immunocyte reprogramming empowers live-cell drug delivery: Mechanistic insights, delivery strategies, and clinical perspectives.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Review
- Reprogramming natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment: Challenges and therapeutic opportunities.Cytokine & growth factor reviews · 2025Review
- Dissecting the heterogeneity and tumor-associated dynamics of human liver group I ILC via scRNA sequencing data.Immunologic research · 2025Article
- TRPML1 ion channel promotes HepaRG cell differentiation under simulated microgravity conditions.NPJ microgravity · 2025Article
- GPR132 regulates the function of NK cells through the Gαs/CSK/ZAP70/NF-κB signaling pathway as a potential immune checkpoint.Science advances · 2025Article
- Natural Killer Cell Mechanosensing in Solid Tumors.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The role of exhausted natural killer cells in the immunopathogenesis and treatment of leukemia.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Review
- An efficient feeder-free and chemically-defined expansion strategy for highly purified natural killer cells derived from human cord blood.Regenerative therapy · 2023Article
- Harnessing the power of memory-like NK cells to fight cancer.Clinical and experimental immunology · 2023Article
- Functional crosstalk and regulation of natural killer cells in tumor microenvironment: Significance and potential therapeutic strategies.Genes & diseases · 2023Review
- MUC1-C is a master regulator of MICA/B NKG2D ligand and exosome secretion in human cancer cells.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2023Article
- Pan-cancer and single-cell analysis revealsFrontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Evasion of NK cell immune surveillanceFrontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Lung Cancer Induces NK Cell Contractility and Cytotoxicity Through Transcription Factor Nuclear Localization.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Article
- Bibliometric and visual analyses of trends in the field of T cell exhaustion research: Findings from 2000 to 2022.International journal of immunopathology and pharmacologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells which play a key role in shaping the immune response against cancer. Initially hailed for their potential to recognise and eliminate tumour cells, their application has been greatly hindered by the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME) which suppresses NK functions (e.g., cytotoxicity). This dysfunctional state that is accompanied by phenotypic changes such as upregulation of inhibitory receptors and downregulation of activating receptors, forms the basis of what many researchers have referred to as 'exhausted' NK cells. However, there is no consensus on whether these phenotypes are sufficient to define an exhausted state of the NK cell. While recent advances in checkpoint inhibition appear to show promise in early-stage pre-clinical studies, much remains to be fully explored and understood in the context of the TME. The TME is where the NK cells are subjected to interaction with various cell types and soluble factors, which could exert an inhibitory effect on NK cytotoxicity. In this review, we provide an overview of the general markers of NK cell exhaustion viz, the surface activating and inhibitory receptors. We also highlight the potential role of T-box transcription factors in characterising such a dysfunctional state and discuss the often-overlooked mechanism of cell cytoskeletal dynamics in regulating NK cell function. These aspects may further contribute to NK exhaustion or NK revival in cancer and may open new avenues to explore cancer treatment strategies.
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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.