Abnormal Expression of c-Myc Oncogene in NK Cells in Patients with Cancer.

Natural killer (NK) cells have received a lot of attention in recent years for the roles they play in immunity and particularly in antitumor immune responses. Although defects in NK cell functions are recognized as important mechanisms for immune evasion of malignant cells, molecular pathways regulating NK cell dysfunction and exhaustion in cancer are largely unknown. Here we tested whether the c-myc proto-oncogene, known to promote cell proliferation, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis by regulating the expression of numerous target genes, may be involved in the mechanism of NK cell abnormalities in patients with lung and gastric cancer.

Alterations of oncogenes expression in NK cells in patients with cancer.

Introduction: C-kit/SCF signaling plays a key role in regulating NK cell homeostasis, maturation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity. C-kit-deficiency in NK cells results in significant reduction of their number, suggesting an imperative role for c-kit signaling in NK cell biology. We have recently showed that human NK cells express not only c-kit-receptor, but also both membrane-bound and soluble forms of c-kit ligand-Stem cell factor.