Home > Immunology Assays > NK Cells
NK CellsNatural killer (NK) cells are a type of innate immune cell with the ability to rapidly identify and kill cells that are infected by viruses or that have become cancerous. NK cells are capable of recognising and eliminating abnormal cells without prior sensitisation. On detecting signs of cellular distress or transformation (e.g. the loss of normal ‘self’ markers such as MHC class I molecules on the surface of cells, NK cells are activated and release cytotoxic molecules such as perforin and granzymes from lytic granules that induce death of the target cell.
Cancer cells may evade or suppress NK cell responses by down-regulating their activating ligands, or upregulating inhibitory molecules (e.g. non-classical MHC I molecules and inhibitory immune checkpoint ligands). Celentyx use a range of assays to investigate NK cell function performed on cells freshly isolated from human blood; the impact of potential therapeutics on cancer cell killing can be quantified by flow cytometry or high-content imaging. NK cell degranulation and activation can be monitored by flow cytometry, and release of cytotoxic molecules such as perforin and granzymes can be quantified by Luminex analysis. Assays may be suitable for studying modulators of CD16, CD27, CD96, CD100, CD155, CD160, CD226,HLA-G, HLA-E, IFNα, IFNβ, IL-2, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, IL-21, IL-23, IL-27, KIR2DS1, KLRG1, nectin-4, NKG2A, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, PCNA, PD-1, PDL-1, Siglec-7, Siglec-9, SLAMF6, SLAMF7, TIGIT and others. |
Further Immunology Assays
Antigen-specific Assays B Cells Fibroblasts Haemolysis Testing Human Microglia Macrophages/Monocytes Neutrophils/Granulocytes Phagocytosis Assays Regulatory T cells Spheroid Killing Assays Suppression Assays T Cell Exhaustion Assays TIL and dissociated tumour cell assays Tumour Cell Killing Assays |
