killer cell


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

killer cell

n.
Any of various lymphocytes, such as cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells, that kill infected or malignant cells.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

killer cell

n
(Pathology) a type of white blood cell that is able to kill cells, such as cancer cells and cells infected with viruses
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

kill′er cell`


n.
any of several types of lymphocyte or leukocyte capable of destroying cells that have acquired foreign characteristics.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.killer cell - T cell with CD8 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and binds to the infected cell and kill it
T cell, T lymphocyte - a small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

killer cell

n. linfocito citolítico o linfocito citocida.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in periodicals archive ?
Separate chapters focus on the pathology, clinical presentation, and treatment of aggressive B-cell, indolent B-cell, T-cell and natural killer cell, and Hodgkin lymphomas.
CHICAGO -- A specific type of natural killer cell has for the first time been implicated as playing a key contributory role in the development of psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis.
In particular, the boost Reishi gives to natural killer cell, T cell, and macrophage function aids in the identification and destruction of abnormal cells that may develop into cancer.
Lansdorp, "Telomere length in human natural killer cell subsets," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol.
These inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) permit NK cells to recognize "self' and provide inhibitory signals to preclude killing of the target cell [2].
Vitamin B12 supplementation is required to improve both T-cell counts and natural killer cell activity.
They also increase human natural killer cell activity.
Fonseca et al., "Aggressive mature natural killer cell neoplasms: report on a series of 12 European patients with emphasis on flow cytometry based immunophenotype and DNA content of neoplastic natural killer cells," Leukemia & Lymphoma, vol.
(15.) Yamagiwa S, Kamimura H, Ichida T Natural killer cell receptors and their ligands in liver diseases.
* Take spleen extract (the compound splenopentin has also been shown to enhance natural killer cell activity)
twitter Lorraine paid PS1,000 for the biopsy which assessed her natural killer cell and then was subsequently treated with intra-lipids - which is a food supplement that by chance was discovered to also temporarily weaken the immune system, allowing an embryo to grow.
Azpiroz et al., "Early changes in interferon signaling define natural killer cell response and refractoriness to interferon-based therapy of hepatitis C patients," Hepatology, vol.