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Natural killer cell immune escape in acute myeloid leukemia

Leukemia volume 26, pages 2019–2026 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

As central players of the innate immune system, natural killer (NK) cells can exert direct and indirect anti-tumor effects via their cytotoxic and immune regulatory capacities, pivotal in the induction of an effective adaptive anti-tumor immune response. Hence, NK cells are considered to be important in the immune surveillance of cancer. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, however, significantly impaired NK cell functions can facilitate escape from immune surveillance and affect patient outcome. Here, we review various NK cell defects and AML evasion mechanisms to escape from NK cell-mediated immune surveillance and we discuss NK cell-related parameters as prediction factors of AML patient outcome. On the basis of these observations, novel immunotherapeutic strategies capitalizing on the potentiation of NK cell functions have emerged in AML immunotherapy, as discussed in this review. Increased knowledge on AML escape routes from NK cell immune surveillance will further aid in the design of novel NK cell-based immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of AML.

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Acknowledgements

EL is funded by a Stichting Emmanuel van der Schueren research grant of the Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker (VLK), YW is funded by a PhD grant of the agency for Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), ELJS is postdoctoral researcher of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen). This work was supported in part by research grants of the FWO-Vlaanderen (G.0082.08), the Belgian Foundation Against Cancer, the Methusalem financement program of the Flemish Government to the Antwerp University, the National Cancer Plan Program of the Ministry of Public Health (NCP action 29), the IWT-TBM (#080664) and the VLK (Project Biomarkers). The authors wish to thank Dr Sébastien Anguille (Belgium) for assistance in the design of figure 1 and for granting us the right to reproduce this artwork in the current publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    E Lion, Y Willemen, Z N Berneman, V F I Van Tendeloo & E L J Smits

  2. Center for Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium

    Z N Berneman & V F I Van Tendeloo

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  1. E Lion
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  2. Y Willemen
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  3. Z N Berneman
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Correspondence to E Lion.

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Lion, E., Willemen, Y., Berneman, Z. et al. Natural killer cell immune escape in acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 26, 2019–2026 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2012.87

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