Natural Killer Cells - Video Tutorials & Practice Problems
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Natural Killer Cells
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In this video, we're going to begin our lesson on natural killer cells. And so first, we need to recall from some of our previous lesson videos that natural killer cells are commonly abbreviated as NKS. And these natural killer cells are lymphocytes just like the T cells and the B cells that we've been talking about so far. However, unlike the B cells and T cells that we've talked about so far, which are a part of adaptive immunity. These natural killer cells are not considered part of adaptive immunity and this is because these natural killer cells lack specificity in antigen recognition. And so these natural killer cells are considered part of innate immunity and they're referred to as innate lymphoid cells. Now, the role of these natural killer cells is to destroy infected host cells by recognizing irregular patterns on the host cell surface. Now, these natural killer cells, when they do recognize these irregular patterns on infected host cells, they release these death packages that include molecules such as porphyrin, which creates pores in the mem in the cell envelope of the um uh infected host cell. And it also releases other proteases uh uh protease containing Granules. And those proteases have are basically uh enzymes that destroy proteins. And so collectively, uh these death packages released by the natural killer cells can induce apoptosis in the infected host cell. Now, the natural killer cell can actually recognize one of two irregular patterns on the infected host cell. The first irregular pattern that it can recognize is the lack of MH C class one on the surface of the infected host cell. And so the lack of MH C class one can actually be a result of some V viruses. So some viruses have evolved complex mechanisms that allow them to uh basically interfere with antigen presentation. And so when it does that these infected cells will not have MH CS on their surface. And so these natural killer cells are able to respond to cells that lack MH C class one on their surface. And so notice that in this image down below, we're showing you how natural killer cells can induce apoptosis in cells that lack Mh C molecules. And so notice over here on the left hand side, we're showing you a virus infecting the host cell. And this particular virus again has evolved mechanisms to interfere with antigen presentation. And so notice that whereas the original cell uh had MH C one on its surface, uh the infected cell no longer has MH C one. So the virus is preventing the cell from displaying Mh C one, Mh C class one molecule. So notice it does not have those molecules on its surface anymore. Now, uh what this means is without the MH CS, the uh T cells will not be able to respond. However, the natural killer cell is able to respond um and essentially eliminate cells that do not have MH C on their surface. So, the natural killer cell which is this pink cell over here, on the right hand side comes along and it recognizes the lack of Mh CS and it will release death packages that include the piper to basically uh create pores in the membrane and also protease containing Granules. And of course, the protease is going to include enzymes that break down proteins and uh that is going to lead to the apoptosis of the infected host cell. And so the infected host cell here is going to undergo apoptosis, getting rid of this infected host cell uh because it lacked those Mh C molecules. Now, the second irregular pattern that uh these uh natural killer cells can recognize on infected host cells is that uh these natural killer cells can respond to the FC region or the constant region of IgG antibodies that are bound to the surface of an infected host cell. And that will lead to the process antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity or A DC C, which we got to talk a little bit about in some of our previous lesson videos. And so if we take a look at our image down below, notice that the natural killer cells can induce apoptosis via A DC C antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. And so over here, on the far left hand side, notice that we have a host cell uh that is infected and this host cell uh that is infected is going to have uh specific proteins on its surface. And uh IgG antibodies can recognize and bind two those antigens on the target cell surface. And so these antibodies are somewhat marking this uh infected host cell. And so uh the natural killer cell, the NK cell can come along and uh recognize the FC region of these antibodies. And the FC region is the constant region, basically uh the bottom of the y uh uh shape of the antibody. And so the uh natural killer cell binds the FC region of the IgG antibodies that are bound to the target cell. And when it does that, it's going to initiate the release of death packages that includes the perforin and those protease containing Granules to ultimately uh induce apoptosis and the target hostel. And so, ultimately, what we're saying here is that these natural killer cells, they lack specificity. Uh And so uh they're part of innate immunity, however, they can work alongside adaptive immunity because again, it's recognizing the FC region of the antibodies uh and they also can kill uh target cells that lack MH C molecules. And so this here concludes our brief introduction to these natural killer cells and we'll be able to get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward. So I'll see you all in our next video.
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Problem
Problem
What is the main difference between natural killer cells & T cytotoxic cells?
A
Natural killer cells do not need to be activated to target & kill infected host cells, but T cytotoxic cells do.
B
T cytotoxic cells do not need to be activated to target & kill infected host cells, but natural killer cells do.
C
T cytotoxic cells bind to antibodies on the surface of host cells & natural killer cells do not.
D
Natural killer cells are a part of the adaptive immune response & T cytotoxic cells are innate lymphocytes.
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Problem
Problem
Certain viruses have evolved to be able to avoid detection by cytotoxic T cells. These viruses remove the MHC class 1 molecules from the surface of the cell that they are infecting. This ensures that the cytotoxic T cells do not bind to the infected cell and kill the cell and the virus within. Which immune cell is specifically designed to recognize these types of viral threats?
A
CD4 effector cells.
B
T helper cells.
C
Regulatory T cells.
D
Natural killer cells.
E
CD8 effector cells.
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Problem
Problem
How are natural killer cells able to kill infected host cells?
A
NK cells bind to IgG antibodies on the infected cell’s surface and send apoptosis signals to the infected cell.
B
NK cells send perforin and protease granules to the infected cell triggering apoptosis of the infected cell.
C
NK cells bind to antigens on the infected cell’s surface and send signals triggering apoptosis of the infected cell.
D
NK cells mark infected cells for destruction and the infected cell will later be destroyed by cytotoxic T cells.
E
A and B.
F
C and D.
G
D only.
H
All of the above.
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