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Natural killer T (NKT) cells: Immunophenotype, functional characteristics and significance in clinical practice

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Abstract

Natural killer T cells are lymphocytes that express both T-cell and natural killer-cell markers. Natural killer T cells are found in parenchymal organs such as liver, lungs, spleen etc and a small number are found in peripheral blood. Natural killer T cells comprise a significant part of leukocyte infiltrates that occur in liver and other organs of patients with cancer or infectious diseases. These cells have a large impact on the functional activity of effectors of anti-tumor and anti-infectious immunity.

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Lebedinskaya, O.V., Akchmatova, N.K., Chikileva, I.O., Shubina, I.Z., Kiselevsky, M.V. (2008). Natural killer T (NKT) cells: Immunophenotype, functional characteristics and significance in clinical practice. In: Kiselevsky, M.V. (eds) Atlas Effectors of Anti-Tumor Immunity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6931-4_6

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