Chemokines and NK cells: Regulators of development, trafficking and functions

NK cells are innate lymphocytes capable of killing malignant or infected cells and to produce a wide array of cytokines and chemokines following activation. Chemokines, play critical roles in the regulation of NM cell tissue distribution in normal conditions as well as their rapid recruitment to the parenchyma of injured organs during inflammation, which is critical for NK cell ability to promote protective responses. In this regard, differences in chemokine receptor expression have been reported on specialized NK cell subsets with distinct effector functions and tissue distribution. Besides their role in the regulation of NM cell trafficking, chemotactic molecules can also affect NM cell effector functions by regulating their priming and their ability to kill and secrete cytokines. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.