Adaptive immune features of natural killer cells

Article

关键词: CD8(+) T-CELLS;    MURINE CYTOMEGALOVIRUS;    ACTIVATION RECEPTOR;    VIRAL-INFECTION;    NK CELLS;    IN-VIVO;    MEMORY;    EFFECTOR;    RECOGNITION;    ANTIGEN;   

DOI  :  10.1038/nature07665

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

In an adaptive immune response, naive T cells proliferate during infection and generate long- lived memory cells that undergo secondary expansion after a repeat encounter with the same pathogen. Although natural killer (NK) cells have traditionally been classified as cells of the innate immune system, they share many similarities with cytotoxic T lymphocytes. We use a mouse model of cytomegalovirus infection to show that, like T cells, NK cells bearing the virus-specific Ly49H receptor proliferate 100-fold in the spleen and 1,000- fold in the liver after infection. After a contraction phase, Ly49H- positive NK cells reside in lymphoid and non- lymphoid organs for several months. These self- renewing 'memory' NK cells rapidly degranulate and produce cytokines on reactivation. Adoptive transfer of these NK cells into naive animals followed by viral challenge results in a robust secondary expansion and protective immunity. These findings reveal properties of NK cells that were previously attributed only to cells of the adaptive immune system.

【 授权许可】

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