An unexpected role of white blood cells – natural killer cells responsible for destroying infected or cancer cells – was opened by the specialists from new Zealand’s University of Otago reports vesti.ru.
This type of lymphocyte “verifies” each met all his cells and destroys the cell if its identificeret as hostile. The study showed that natural killer help to launch the body’s immune response. Led the work of the research group Alex McLellan and Sarah Sanderson, specializing in Microbiology and immunology.
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The scientists said that natural killer cells play the role of patrol, moving through the body and destroying suspicious cells most often infected or cancerous. “Suspicion” define lymphocytes, approaching the cage and observing its surface. If there is not detected by certain molecules that play a role identifier, the cell is destroyed. Researchers have found that this is not the only function of natural killer cells – they also strengthen the immune system, helping it components to recognize fragments of cancer cells that enter the bloodstream. Natural killer cells stimulate the immune response, making it much more intense. Research staff noted that this type lymphocytes vital to the immune system, and now plan to work to strengthen the functions found cells to the immune system more effective in fighting cancer.
