Natural suppressor (NS) cells members of the LGL regulatory family.

Natural suppressor (NS) activity is defined as the ability of unprimed 'null' cells to suppress the response of lymphocytes to immunogenic and mitogenic stimuli. Cells with this ability have been studied for a number of years(1-16). In this review, Tom Maier and his colleagues examine some aspects of non-specific suppression and relate them to NS activity. They also consider NS cells as part of a 'natural' non-specific suppressor-cell family along with natural killer and natural cytotoxic cells. This family has the large granular lymphocyte (LGL) phenotype.