Role of natural killer and B cell interaction in inducing pathogen specific immune responses

Abstract

The innate lymphoid cell (ILC) system comprising of the circulating and tissue-resident cells is known to clear infectious pathogens, establish immune homeostasis as well as confer antitumor immunity. Human natural killer cells (hNKs) and other ILCs carry out mopping of the infectious pathogens and perform cytolytic activity regulated by the non-adaptive immune system. The NK cells generate immunological memory and rapid recall response tightly regulated by the adaptive immunity. The interaction of NK and B cell, and its role to induce the pathogen specific immunity is not fully understood. Hence, present article sheds light on the interaction between NK and B cells and resulting immune responses in the infectious diseases. The immune responses elicited by the NK-B cell interaction is of particular importance for developing therapeutic vaccines against the infectious pathogens. Further, experimental evidences suggest the immune-response driven by NK cell population elicits the host-specific antibodies and memory B cells. Also, recently developed humanized immune system (HIS) mice and their importance in to understanding the NK-B cell interaction and resulting pathogen specific immunity has been discussed.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Acquired immunity
• anti-tumor immunity
• B cells
• CD34⁺
• humanized mouse
• IFN-γ
• immune system
• immunodeficient mice
• innate immunity
• NK cells

Acknowledgments

Dr. Rajeev Tyagi would like to express his gratitude towards Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India for awarding the Ramalingaswami reentry Fellowship DBT, New Delhi (D.O. NO. BT/HRD/35/02/2006). This work was partly covered under Ramalingaswami funds. Prof. Sarat K. Dalai would like to thank the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, Govt. of India for funding part of study (BT/PR34451/MED/29/1482/2019, SAN NO. 102/IFD/SAN/1633/2020-2021). Mr. Nikunj Tandel would like to thank the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for providing the fellowship to carry out his research work (ICMR award letter No.: 2020-7623/CMB-BMS).

Author contributions

Conceptualization: NT and RKT; resources & information collection: NT and SN; writing—original draft preparation: NT and SN; writing—review and editing: NT, RKT and SD

Disclosure statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest exists.

Additional information

Funding

Rajeev Tyagi would like to express his gratitude to DBT, New Delhi, Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship Project (No. BT/RLF/Re-entry/27/2018) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and New Delhi extramural grant (35/1/2020-Nano/BMS) for generously supporting this study. Nikunj Tandel would like to thank the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for providing the fellowship to carry out his research (ICMR award letter No.: 2020-7623/CMB-BMS).