Receptors and Ligands Regulating Human NK cell Proliferation

Funded Activity Summary

A white blood cell called a Natural Killer (NK) cell is critical in the early control of viral infections and cancer. NK cells kill the diseased cells and secrete immunological hormones (cytokines) that alter how cells of the blood and immune systems respond. These functions of NK cells are markedly increased when NK cells are stimulated to divide. This project seeks to understand how NK cell proliferation is controlled. Receptors that recognise 'self' inhibit NK cell function and cell division thereby preserving self and destroying diseased cells. Yet many NK cells express both an inhibitory and activating receptor for this same 'self' protein. We will investigate what determines the outcome of this competing information. Many NK cell receptors remain to be identified and we will use a gene expression approach and monoclonal antibodies to identify these and determine how they affect NK cell proliferation. We will use molecular engineering to construct multimeric arrays of new NK cell receptors to search for the ligand molecules that they interact with on other cells. Identifying NK cell receptors and their ligands regulating NK cell proliferation and function will enable us to understand the role of these cells in health and in inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $692,040.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Clinical chemistry (incl. diagnostics)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Cell surface receptors | NK cell disorders | NK cells | cancer | inflammation | proliferation

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