%0 Journal Article
%T NK-like CD8 T cell: one potential evolutionary continuum between adaptive memory and innate immunity.
%A Wang Q
%A Chen S
%A Guo Z
%A Xia S
%A Zhang M
%J Clin Exp Immunol
%V 217
%N 2
%D 2024 Jul 12
%M 38651831
%F 5.732
%R 10.1093/cei/uxae038
%X CD8 T cells are crucial adaptive immune cells with cytotoxicity to fight against pathogens or abnormal self-cells via major histocompatibility complex class I-dependent priming pathways. The composition of the memory CD8 T-cell pool is influenced by various factors. Physiological aging, chronic viral infection, and autoimmune diseases promote the accumulation of CD8 T cells with highly differentiated memory phenotypes. Accumulating studies have shown that some of these memory CD8 T cells also exhibit innate-like cytotoxicity and upregulate the expression of receptors associated with natural killer (NK) cells. Further analysis shows that these NK-like CD8 T cells have transcriptional profiles of both NK and CD8 T cells, suggesting the transformation of CD8 T cells into NK cells. However, the specific induction mechanism underlying NK-like transformation and the implications of this process for CD8 T cells are still unclear. This review aimed to deduce the possible differentiation model of NK-like CD8 T cells, summarize the functions of major NK-cell receptors expressed on these cells, and provide a new perspective for exploring the role of these CD8 T cells in health and disease.