Natural killer (NK) cells, a subpopulation of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) are involved in the spontaneous lysing of tumor or virally infected target cells. The killing action requires binding of the killer cells to the target cells. The role of the laminin receptor in this process of specific binding is being examined in our laboratories. Using murine NK cells, the presence of laminin-like molecule and a receptor for laminin binding has been established (Kd 10-11 M, approximately 990,000 receptors/cell). Further studies will attempt to define and compare the receptor on NK cells versus the already established laminin receptor located on many tumor cells; the interactions between these two receptors during cell lysis will be explored.
