Clonal Expansion and Epigenetic Inheritance of Long-Lasting NK Cell Memory

Clonal expansion and epigenetic inheritance of long-lasting NK cell memory

Clonal expansion of cells with somatically diversified receptors and their long-term maintenance as memory cells is a hallmark of adaptive immunity. Here, we studied pathogen-specific adaptation within the innate immune system, tracking natural killer (NK) cell memory to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Leveraging single-cell multiomic maps of ex vivo NK cells and somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations as endogenous barcodes, we reveal subst…

Genetically Targeting Natural Killer Cells to Fight Cancer

A team of researchers at Monash University and the immunology company oNKo-Innate in Melbourne, Australia, has identified two genes in natural killer (NK) cells that, when deactivated, increase their ability to target and attack cancer cells using the body’s own defense mechanisms. When switched off in NK cells, the genes ARIH2 and UBE2F, which code for the two enzymes Ariadne RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2 (ARIH2) and ubiquitin-conjugating e…