What Inhibits Natural Killers’ Performance in Tumour

Abstract

Natural killer cells are innate lymphocytes with the ability to lyse tumour cells depending on the balance of their activating and inhibiting receptors. Growing numbers of clinical trials show promising results of NK cell-based immunotherapies. Unlike T cells, NK cells can lyse tumour cells independent of antigen presentation, based simply on their activation and inhibition receptors. Various strategies to improve NK cell-based therapies are being developed, all with one goal: to shift the balance to activation. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of ways NK cells can lyse tumour cells and all the inhibitory signals stopping their cytotoxic potential.