NK cells are they important in MS

Galuppo M, Giacoppo S, Sessa E, Bramanti P, Mazzon E.
Are natural killer cells involved in multiple sclerosis aetiology? Evidences from NKp46/NCR1 receptor modulation in an observational study. J Neurol Sci. 2014. pii: S0022-510X(14)00491-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2014.07.045. [Epub ahead of print]

Natural killer (NK) cells are implicated in many autoimmune diseases but their role in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains still unknown. This study was aimed to evaluate the expression levels of a NK cell receptor (NCR1) in patients with diagnosis of MS. Particularly, the study took into account patients undergoing pharmacological therapy with interferon-beta or natalizumab and patients never treated since first-time diagnosed for MS. Expression levels of NCR1 receptor were evaluated in protein extracts of peripheral blood mononuclear cells performing western blot analysis. Our results show that MS patients display higher NCR1 expression levels than healthy controls. Moreover, patients with a first diagnosis of MS display the highest level of NCR1 when compared with patients pharmacologically treated with interferon-beta or natalizumab. Therefore, pharmacologically treated MS patients show a modulated NK cell expression.

Natural Killer cells are a type of white blood cells that help kill cancers and virally infected cells. This study is a look-see project that looks at a protein on them and sees change, what does it mean...I don't know more needs to be done.

But are NK cells important then the feeling is yes and this may be the mechanism by with daclizumab works. Daclizumab is an antibody in late development for MS which blocks relapse. It works by binding to CD25, the alpha subunit of the IL-2 receptor of T cells. However  it also make a population of Natural Killer grow. These may be immunoregulatory.

CoI None. ProfG is involvedin the development of this drug