Researchers identify a gene essential for the natural killer cell response against cancer

Two parts of the body’s immune system are critical for its normal functioning. One of these, the innate immune component, must defend the body against onslaughts from foreign substances it has never before seen. Failure of the immune system can result in cancer, autoimmune disease, or life threatening viral infections. Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have identified a gene called MEF that is essential to the development of Natural Killer cells and Natural Killer T-cells, which play a vital role in the innate immune system. Their findings are published as the cover study in the October 2002 issue of Immunity from Cell Press.

“By understanding how the MEF protein promotes the development and function of natural killer cells, we will develop ways to help the innate immune system better recognize and kill cancer cells,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., head of the Division of Hematology Oncology and the study’s senior author. “We are planning future studies to learn how this can improve bone marrow transplant strategies.”

“The differential regulation of perforin gene expression in the innate versus the adaptive immune system provides a selective target for future therapeutic interventions,” explained H. Daniel Lacorazza, Ph.D., the study’s first author.