Mouse Ly49G2+ NK cells dominate early responses during both immune reconstitution and activation independently of MHC

Isabel Barao, Maite Alvarez, Erik Ames, Mark T. Orr, Heather E. Stefanski, Bruce R. Blazar, Lewis L. Lanier, Stephen K. Anderson, Doug Redelman, William J. Murphy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cell subsets can be defined by the differential expression of inhibitory receptors for MHC class I molecules. Early after congenic HSCT, we found that Ly49G2high single-positive NK cells repopulated, displayed an activated phenotype, and were highly cytolytic. Over time, this subset was replaced with NK cells with a normal pattern of Ly49 expression. Treatment of mice with IL-2 also resulted in the rapid expansion of these Ly49G2high single-positive NK cells. Only the Ly49g (Klra7) Pro1 transcript was highly induced in both HSCT- and IL-2-treated recipients. MHC-independent expansion of the Ly49G2+ subset was also observed after Listeria monocytogenes or mouse cytomegalovirus infection. Our data indicate that during reconstitution after HSCT and various activation stimuli, Ly49G2+ NK cells represent the "first-responder" NK cells, which occur independently of NK-cell licensing via Ly49-MHC interactions. These data suggest that the inhibitory Ly49G2 receptor represents an activation marker on mouse NK cells under various conditions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7032-7041
Number of pages10
JournalBlood
Volume117
Issue number26
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 30 2011

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