Natural killer cell
TYPE OF CYTOTOXIC LYMPHOCYTE
NK cell; NK-cells; Natural killer cells; NK-cell; NK cells; NK-Cell; Killer cells, natural; Nk cells; NK Cell; Natural Killer cell; Natural Killer Cells; Natural killer; Natural killer lymphocytes; Killer cell; Killer cells; Large granular lymphocyte; Natural Killer Cell; Nk cell; Natural killer cell receptors; NK lymphocyte; Missing self
Natural killer cells, also known as NK cells or large granular lymphocytes (LGL), are a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte critical to the innate immune system that belong to the rapidly expanding family of known innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and represent 5–20% of all circulating lymphocytes in humans. The role of NK cells is analogous to that of cytotoxic T cells in the vertebrate adaptive immune response.