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Killer cell

1. (Science: immunology) Mammalian cells which can lyse antibody coated target cells. They have a receptor for the fc portion of igg and are probably of the mononuclear phagocyte lineage, though some may be lymphocytes. Not to be confused with cytotoxic t-cells which recognise targets by other means and are clearly a sub set of t lymphocytes. This confusion exists in the early literature.

2. Natural killer cell are cd3 negative large granular lymphocytes, mediating cytolytic reactions that do not require expression of class i or II major histocompatibility antigens on the target cell.

3. Lymphokine activated killer cells are nk cells activated by interleukin-2 (lak cells). 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.