These are reduced in Lyme and Bartonella and many other things.
CD56 and CD57 are surface markers found on immune cells, primarily Natural Killer (NK) cells and T cells, but also on some tumors like neuroendocrine ones.
CD56 (NCAM) signifies NK cell presence and neural origin, while CD57 marks terminally differentiated, highly cytotoxic (tumor cell killing) NK cells and T cells, often indicating a mature or senescent state, with both markers used in diagnosing specific cancers like neuroblastomas or certain leukemias and lymphomas… [and others] .
CD56 (NCAM)
- Function: A Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule (NCAM) that helps in cell-cell interactions, often associated with NK cell maturation and function.
- Expression: Found on most NK cells, some T cells, and neural tumors (neuroblastomas, schwannomas).
- Tumor Relevance: Expressed in neuroectodermal tumors… and certain leukemias, indicating neural [brain] or … [bone marrow] lineage.
CD57 (HNK-1)
- Function: Marks [fully matured] … [cell killing] cytotoxic NK cells and T cells, often associated with aging and chronic infections (like CMV).
- Tumor Relevance: Its presence in tumors (like some Ewing’s Sarcoma/PNETs) suggests mature effector cell infiltration, potentially beneficial but can be misleading if interpreted without other markers.
Co-expression & Significance in Tumors
- Complementary Patterns: CD56 and CD57 often show complementary expression; high CD56 (more immature/cytokine-producing) vs. high CD57 (more mature/cytotoxic) NK cells, say
National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov), National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov). - Diagnostic Value: Their presence helps classify small round blue cell tumors (SRBCTs), neuroendocrine tumors, and immune infiltrates in cancers like melanoma, indicating different stages of immune response or tumor cell