Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: HIV Ther. 2010 Jul 1;4(4):483–504. doi: 10.2217/HIV.10.28

Figure 3. The most recently described natural killer cell subset is the natural killer subset that is present in mucosal lymphoid tissues, such as the tonsil and mesenteric lymph nodes.

Figure 3

These NK cells express p44 in the case of humans and the IL-23R. It is reasoned that dendritic cells, upon activation following exposure to harmful infectious agents, synthesize IL-23, which binds to the IL-23R on NK cells. These activated NK cells synthesize IL-22. The gastrointestinal epithelial cells express the receptor for IL-22 and, upon ligation, synthesize IL-10, which supposedly downregulates the degree of inflammation and homeostasis is maintained.

NK: Natural killer; R: Receptor.