Deciphering the Multifaceted Relationship between Oncolytic Viruses and Natural Killer Cells

Figure 2

NK cell activation is mediated by a variety of cell surface inhibitory and activating receptors that recognize cell surface ligands on target cells. Viral infection, oncogenic transformation, and cellular stressors result in the downregulation in ligands for NK inhibitory receptors while concomitantly increasing the expression of NK activating ligands. Despite the presence of both activating and inhibitory signals on target cells, the overall balance of these signals dictates NK activation and target cell clearance.