Grant: Operating Grant

Natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in virus infection to slow the spread of virus in the body and production of virus by infected cells, until other components of the immune system can become operative and aid the fight against the virus. Natural killer cells recognize and destroy cells infected with virus preventing these cells from becoming virus factories. Remarkably, NK cells can rapidly discriminate between healthy cells and virus infected cells. We are studying a class of cell surface receptors that enable NK cells to distinguish healthy cells from altered or virus infected cells. The present study is designed to determine how these receptors bind molecules expressed on other cells which alert NK cells to the health status of the cells and how on a molecular and mechanistic level this recognition results in changes in the behaviour of the NK cell to either destroy or spare the cell in contact. Understanding these principles, will allow for knowledge-based manipulation of NK cells to better combat virus infection.