The crosstalk between NK cells and platelets in the primary tumor microenvironment

Cancer is widespread in nature, affecting domestic animals, wild mammals, birds and fish. The number of animals diagnosed with cancer has increased considerably over the last decade with one in four dogs expected to develop some form of cancer. Based on the anti-tumor effect of natural killer (NK) cells, numerous attempts have been made to introduce autologous or allogenic NK cells in the cancer therapeutics. The interaction of NK cells with other hematopoietic cells which influence the function of NK cells were well understood but the platelets which have been demonstrated to promote tumor-growth and metastasis in cancer is still elusive. In precise, it can be said that the direct interaction between NK cells & platelets and the soluble factors derived from platelets together effect principle of “missing self” and “induce self” of NK cells cytotoxicity. The molecular mechanism underlying of these process are discussed in this review.