The stem cell markers CD44, Bmi1, Oct4 and Nanog are frequently expressed in MEC in relation to normal salivary gland and Oct4 and Nanog expression may contribute to aggressiveness and worst prognosis in MEC patients.
NK cells are innate lymphoid cells that exert a key role in immune surveillance
through the recognition and elimination of transformed cells and viral,
bacterial, and protozoan pathogen-infected cells without prior sensitization.
Elucidating when and how NK cell-induced intracellular microbial cell death
functions in the resolution of infection and host inflammation has been an
important topic of investigation. NK cell activation requires the engagement of
specific activating, co-stimulatory, and inhibitory receptors which control
positively and negatively their differentiation, memory, and exhaustion. NK
cells secrete diverse cytokines, including IFN-γ, TNF-α/β, CD95/FasL, and TRAIL,
as well as cytoplasmic cytotoxic granules containing perforin, granulysin, and
granzymes A and B. Paradoxically, NK cells also kill other immune cells like
macrophages, dendritic cells, and hyper-activated T cells, thus turning off
self-immune reactions. Here we first provide an overview of NK cell biology, and
then we describe and discuss the life–death signals that connect the microbial
pathogen sensors to the inflammasomes and finally to cell death signaling
pathways. We focus on caspase-mediated cell death by apoptosis and
pro-inflammatory and non-caspase-mediated cell death by necroptosis, as well as
inflammasome- and caspase-mediated pyroptosis.
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