Human lung natural killer cells are predominantly comprised of highly differentiated hypofunctional CD69(-)CD56(dim) cells

摘要

Background: In contrast to the extensive knowledge about human natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood, relatively little is known about NK cells in the human lung. Knowledge about the composition, differentiation, and function of human lung NK cells is critical to better understand their role in diseases affecting the lung, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infections, and cancer.