Immune Netw.  2023 Feb;23(1):e8. 10.4110/in.2023.23.e8.

Human CD8⁺ T-Cell Populations That Express Natural Killer Receptors

• Koh JY
• Kim DU
• Moon BH
• Shin EC

• KMID: 2544663
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4110/in.2023.23.e8

Abstract

CD8⁺ T cells are activated by TCRs that recognize specific cognate Ags, while NK-cell activation is regulated by a balance between signals from germline-encoded activating and inhibitory NK receptors. Through these different processes of Ag recognition, CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells play distinct roles as adaptive and innate immune cells, respectively. However, some human CD8⁺ T cells have been found to express activating or inhibitory NK receptors. CD8⁺ T-cell populations expressing NK receptors straddle the innate-adaptive boundary with their innate-like features. Recent breakthrough technical advances in multi-omics analysis have enabled elucidation of the unique immunologic characteristics of these populations. However, studies have not yet fully clarified the heterogeneity and immunological characteristics of each CD8⁺ T-cell population expressing NK receptors. Here we aimed to review the current knowledge of various CD8⁺ T-cell populations expressing NK receptors, and to pave the way for delineating the landscape and identifying the various roles of these T-cell populations.

Keyword

CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Natural Killer Cell Receptors; CD56 Antigen; Receptors, KIR; NKG2A Receptor; NKG2C Receptor