Figure 1.

Early programs that commit progenitors to natural killer (NK) cell lineage. (A) General schema of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)-lymphoid-primed multipotential progenitors (LMPPs)-common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) to NK cell progenitors (NKPs). (B) Stem cell factor (SCF) and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) interact with their tyrosine kinase receptors c-Kit and Flt3L, respectively. The signaling pathways initiated through these receptors, primarily mediated by Jak2-Stats, PI(3)K-mTORC1-S6K1/4EBP1, or Jak2-PLC-γ2-NF-κB, promote cell survival, proliferation, and migration between niches. This activation also leads to essential gene transcriptions including IL-2Rβ. (C) IL-7-mediated activation via CD127 results in the maintenance of cell-fate integrity, survival, and proliferation.