Are “natural killer” cells involved in allograft rejection?

Abstract

“Natural killer” (NK) effector cells and large granular lymphocytes (LGL) are found inside rat renal allografts during rejection. Their appearance in situ precedes the appearance of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and concomitantly with their influx in the allograft, the NK activity and the LGL are depleted from the recipient spleen. This suggests that the NK effector cells and the LGL are involved in allograft rejection, although their role(s) among the other in situ inflammatory effector pathways remains to be clarified.