Age-Related Alterations to Natural Killer Cell Function
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Human natural killer (NK) cells represent a heterogeneous lymphoid population involved in the recognition and lysis of tumor and virally infected cells. NK cells are defined by the expression of the IgG Fc receptor CD16 (FcγRIIIA) and/or CD56. NK cells do not rearrange immunoglobulin (Ig) or T-cell receptor (TCR) genes. Therefore, neither Ig nor the TCR-CD3 complex is expressed at the cell surface, except for the zeta (ζ) chain. Both markers, CD16 and CD56, have been used to analyze age-associated changes in the number of NK cells.
