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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Immunol Rev. 2010 May;235(1):297–305. doi: 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2010.00891.x

Fig. 2. Model of cytokine-induced NK cell memory-like responses.

Fig. 2

NK and dendritic cell (DC) cross-talk involves cytokine stimulation as well as cell-contact signals. Following activation and production of IFN-γ, some NK cells might differentiate into memory-like cells, a process that takes less than one week. These memory-like NK cells do not constitutively produce IFN-γ and are maintained in a resting state. However, weeks later, when these NK cells are activated again via NK-DC cross-talk, this pool of memory-like NK cells could provide enhanced IFN-γ and therefore potentially improved protection against pathogens.