IKDCs or B220+ NK cells are pre-mNK cells

Abstract

The cell lineage origin of interferon-producing killer dendritic cells (IKDCs) has been challenged since 2006 when the unique capacity of these cells to accumulate in tumors and mediate remarkable antitumor effects was first described.1-4 In this issue of Blood, Guimont-Desrochers et al redefine B220+ NK cells as a novel intermediate in NK-cell differentiation preceding the acquisition of CD27.