Ricerc@Sapienza

Immunity to pathogens is ensured through integration of early responses mediated by innate cells and late effector functions taking place after terminal differentiation of adaptive lymphocytes. In this context, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and adaptive T cells represent a clear example of how prototypical effector functions, including polarized expression of cytokines and/or cytotoxic activity, can occur with overlapping modalities but different timing.

Differentiation of Natural Killer (NK) cells is a stepwise process having its origin in the bone marrow and proceeding in the periphery, where these cells follow organ specific trajectories. Several soluble factors and cytokines regulate the distinct stages of NK cell differentiation, and ultimately, their functional properties.