NK cell metabolism

Abstract

Natural Killer (NK) cells are important antiviral and anticancer effector cells. They have excellent potential for immunotherapy although impaired functions during cancer limit their effectiveness. The discovery that cellular metabolism can impact on and regulate immune functions has led to an explosion of articles in this new area of immunometabolism. Metabolism has recently been shown to impact both murine and human NK cell biology. This review is targeted for newcomers to the field; it will introduce basic concepts in the area of immunometabolism including key aspects of glucose metabolism and mitochondrial function. It will review our current understanding of how metabolism of NK cells is differentially impacted in a variety of important situations. This is a rapidly expanding and exciting area of research that holds great potential for improving NK cell-based immunotherapies.