IRF4 is required for the differentiation of T cells, B cells and some myeloid cells. A new study finds that IRF4 is upregulated following natural killer (NK) cell activation and is required for the differentiation and expansion of virus-specific NK cells by controlling nutrient acquisition, including iron uptake.
References
O’Sullivan, T. E., Sun, J. C. & Lanier, L. L. Immunity 43, 634–645 (2015).
Santosa, E. K. et al. Nat. Immunol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01620-z (2023).
Adams, N. M. et al. Immunity 48, 1172–1182.e6 (2018).
Huntington, N. D. et al. Nat. Immunol. 8, 856–863 (2007).
Sathe, P. et al. Nat. Commun. 5, 4539 (2014).
Viant, C. et al. J. Exp. Med. 214, 491–510 (2017).
Wensveen, F. M., Alves, N. L., Derks, I. A. M., Reedquist, K. A. & Eldering, E. Apoptosis 16, 708–721 (2011).
Kameda, K. et al. Blood 142, 352–364 (2023).
Jabara, H. H. et al. Nat. Genet. 48, 74–78 (2016).
Fedele, P. L. et al. Blood 134, 3103 (2019).
Holmes, M. L. et al. EMBO J. 33, 2721–2734 (2014).
Seo, H. et al. Nat. Immunol. 22, 983–995 (2021).
Acknowledgements
N.D.H. is supported by project grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (GNT1124784, GNT1066770, GNT1057852, GNT1124907, GNT1057812, GNT1049407, GNT1027472 and GNT1184615) and an NHMRC Investigator Fellowship (GNT1195296).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
N.D.H. reports stock or other ownership in oNKo-Innate, serves on an advisory board for Bristol Myers Squibb and is an inventor on multiple licensed patents concerning cytokine checkpoints in NK cell therapies and IL-15 receptor agonists.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huntington, N.D. Ironman training for NK cells. Nat Immunol 24, 1599–1601 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01626-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01626-7
- Springer Nature America, Inc.