Natural Killer (NK) cells were discovered ca 1975, as the first group of lymphoid cells that were neither T cells nor B cells. Since then, the dissection of the biology of NK cells has been growing exponentially with many seminal discoveries from the identification of MHC class I-specific inhibitory receptors to the discovery of receptor-ligand pairs involved in NK cell activation and to the manipulation of NK cells in cancer. In this research topic, we asked a group of thought leaders in NK cell biology to review recent advances in their origins and biology, and their roles in cancer, infection and inflammation. Together, these 25 articles provide a timely survey of NK cells as critical immunologic components of health and disease. They will hopefully prompt further dialogue and developments in basic and translational immunology.

This book is included in DOAB.