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Once natural killer cells identify their targets they engage their lysis machinery. Spontaneous, unlike antibody-dependent, cytotoxicity predominantly uses a Ras-independent pathway to accomplish this activation.
Lymphocyte memory—is there a requirement for the continual presence of antigen or not? In a recent issue of Nature an elegant series of genetic manipulations from Maruyama et al. makes a strong case for the persistence of B cell memory in the absence of antigen.
In a new twist, the cytokine IL-10, if present when leukocytes are activated, can disconnect chemokine receptors from signaling for cell migration. The receptors act as a “sink” for soaking up chemokines, thus providing the perfect decoy.
