Recent Advances in the Role of Natural Killer Cells in Acute Kidney Injury

Abstract

Growing evidence is revealing a central role for natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic cells belonging to the broad family of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), in acute and chronic forms of renal disease. NK cell effector functions include both the recognition and elimination of virus-infected and tumor cells and the capability of sensing pathogens through Toll-like receptor (TLR) engagement. Notably, they also display immune regulatory properties, exerted thanks to their ability to secrete cytokines/chemokines and to establish interactions with different innate and adaptive immune cells. Therefore, because of their multiple functions, NK cells may have a major pathogenic role in acute kidney injury (AKI), and a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving NK cell activation in AKI and their downstream interactions with intrinsic renal cells and infiltrating immune cells could help to identify new potential biomarkers and to select clinically valuable novel therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the current literature regarding the potential involvement of NK cells in AKI.

Human NK cells: From development to effector functions

“…This is said to be mediated by an interplay between tubular epithelial cells and kidney NKs. 105 Although the existence of human thymic NKs was known for a long time, their function is largely unknown, even today. 106 Nonetheless, their functions have been speculated using data from murine studies.…”

Connecting the dots between inflammatory cascades of obesity and COVID-19 in light of mortal consequences—a review

“…They are obligated for the elimination of cells with low or undetectable levels of high expression of stress ligands or major histocompatibility complex (MHC I), both of which are associated with viral infections. Obese patients have a considerable reduction in NK cell cytotoxic activity, which has been linked to increased virus transmission in human and animal models (Kawabe et al 2019 ; Cantoni et al 2020 ; Kosaraju et al 2017 ). In vitro, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in NK cells was reduced in overweight and obese patients.…”