AUTHOR=Xia Miaoran , Wang Bingbing , Wang Zihan , Zhang Xulong , Wang Xi 

TITLE=Epigenetic Regulation of NK Cell-Mediated Antitumor Immunity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.672328

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.672328

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Natural killer (NK) cells are critical innate lymphocytes that can directly kill target cells without prior immunization. NK cell activation is controlled by the balance of multiple germline-encoded activating and inhibitory receptors. NK cells are a heterogeneous and plastic population displaying a broad spectrum of functional states (resting, activating, memory, repressed, and exhausted). In this review, we present an overview of the epigenetic regulation of NK cell-mediated antitumor immunity, including DNA methylation, histone modification, transcription factor changes, and microRNA expression. NK cell-based immunotherapy has been recognized as a promising strategy to treat cancer. Since epigenetic alterations are reversible and druggable, these studies will help identify new ways to enhance NK cell-mediated antitumor cytotoxicity by targeting intrinsic epigenetic regulators alone or in combination with other strategies.</p>