scholarly journals miR-1224 contributes to ischemic stroke-mediated natural killer cell dysfunction by targeting Sp1 signaling

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Feng ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Bo-Hao Zhang ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Brain ischemia compromises natural killer (NK) cell-mediated immune defenses by acting on neurogenic and intracellular pathways. Less is known about the posttranscriptional mechanisms that regulate NK cell activation and cytotoxicity after ischemic stroke. Methods Using a NanoString nCounter® miRNA array panel, we explored the microRNA (miRNA) profile of splenic NK cells in mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion. Differential gene expression and function/pathway analysis were applied to investigate the main functions of predicted miRNA target genes. miR-1224 inhibitor/mimics transfection and passive transfer of NK cells were performed to confirm the impact of miR-1224 in NK cells after brain ischemia. Results We observed striking dysregulation of several miRNAs in response to ischemia. Among those miRNAs, miR-1224 markedly increased 3 days after ischemic stroke. Transfection of miR-1224 mimics into NK cells resulted in suppression of NK cell activity, while an miR-1224 inhibitor enhanced NK cell activity and cytotoxicity, especially in the periphery. Passive transfer of NK cells treated with an miR-1224 inhibitor prevented the accumulation of a bacterial burden in the lungs after ischemic stroke, suggesting an enhanced immune defense of NK cells. The transcription factor Sp1, which controls cytokine/chemokine release by NK cells at the transcriptional level, is a predicted target of miR-1224. The inhibitory effect of miR-1224 on NK cell activity was blocked in Sp1 knockout mice. Conclusions These findings indicate that miR-1224 may serve as a negative regulator of NK cell activation in an Sp1-dependent manner; this mechanism may be a novel target to prevent poststroke infection specifically in the periphery and preserve immune defense in the brain.

2013 ◽  
Vol 210 (6) ◽  
pp. 1065-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Kerdiles ◽  
Sophie Ugolini ◽  
Eric Vivier

In light of their role in the immune response against tumors and viruses, natural killer (NK) cells represent a promising target for immunotherapy. Before this target is reached, the various mechanisms that control NK cell activity must first be identified and understood. In the past decades, studies have identified two critical processes that prevent spontaneous NK cell–mediated autoimmune activation while maximizing the efficiency of these cells during an immune response. First is the education process, whereby NK cells adapt to their environment by sensing ligands for inhibitory and activating receptors. Second is the priming phase of NK cell activation, which arms NK cells with appropriate cytotoxic molecules during inflammation. New studies now indicate that NK cell proliferation, accumulation, and activation are also under the control of regulatory T cells that restrict availability of IL-2 released by activated CD4+ T cells. Together with other recent studies, these data highlight the importance of the adaptive immune system in the regulation of NK cell activity.


1995 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 732-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Won ◽  
M. T. Lin

The effects of different ambient temperatures (Ta) on the splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity, effector-target cell conjugation activity, and NK cell numbers were assessed in male inbred C3H/HeNCrj mice (7–10 wk old). The splenic NK cytotoxic activities were examined in a 4-h 51Cr release assay in mouse spleen cells that were obtained 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 days after exposure to Ta of 22, 4, or 35 degrees C. The percentage of conjugating lymphocytes was calculated by counting the number of single lymphocytes bound to single target cells per 400 effector cells. The numbers of NK cells were expressed by the percentage of 5E6-positive cells. The 5E6 identifies only a subset of NK cells. It was found that the splenic NK cell activity, the effector-target cell conjugation activity, or the NK cell number began to fall 1 day after cold (Ta 4 degrees C) or heat (Ta 35 degrees C) stress. After a 16-day period of either cold or heat exposure, the fall in the splenic NK cell activity, the effector-target cell conjugation activity, or the number of 5E6-positive subsets of NK cells was still evident. Compared with those of the control group (Ta 22 degrees C), the cold-stressed mice had higher adrenal cortisol concentration and lower colonic temperature, whereas the heat-stressed animals had higher adrenal cortisol concentration and higher colonic temperature during a 16-day period of thermal exposure. However, neither cold nor heat stress affected both the body weight gain and the spleen weight in our mice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Littwitz-Salomon ◽  
Simone Schimmer ◽  
Ulf Dittmer

ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and recognize virus-infected cells as well as tumor cells. Conflicting data about the beneficial or even detrimental role of NK cells in different infectious diseases have been described previously. While the type of pathogen strongly influences NK cell functionality, less is known about how the infection dose influences the quality of a NK cell response against retroviruses. In this study, we used the well-established Friend retrovirus (FV) mouse model to investigate the impact of virus dose on the induction of antiviral NK cell functions. High-dose virus inoculation increased initial virus replication compared to that with medium- or low-dose viral challenge and significantly improved NK cell activation. Antiviral NK cell activity, including in vivo cytotoxicity toward infected target cells, was also enhanced by high-dose virus infection. NK cell activation following high-dose viral challenge was likely mediated by activated dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages and the NK cell-stimulating cytokines interleukin 15 (IL-15) and IL-18. Neutralization of these cytokines decreased NK cell functions and increased viral loads, whereas IL-15 and IL-18 therapy improved NK cell activity. Here we demonstrate that virus dose positively correlates with antiviral NK cell activity and function, which are at least partly driven by IL-15 and IL-18. Our results suggest that NK cell activity may be therapeutically enhanced by administering IL-15 and IL-18 in virus infections that inadequately activate NK cells. IMPORTANCE In infections with retroviruses, like HIV and FV infection of mice, NK cells clearly mediate antiviral activities, but they are usually not sufficient to prevent severe pathology. Here we show that the initial infection dose impacts the induction of an antiviral NK cell response during an acute retroviral infection, which had not investigated before. High-dose infection resulted in a strong NK cell functionality, whereas no antiviral activities were detected after low- or medium-dose infection. Interestingly, DCs and macrophages were highly activated after high-dose FV challenge, which corresponded with increased levels of NK cell-stimulating cytokines IL-15 and IL-18. IL-15 and IL-18 neutralization decreased NK cell functions, whereas IL-15 and IL-18 therapy improved NK cell activity. Here we show the importance of cytokines for NK cell activation in retroviral infections; our findings suggest that immunotherapy combining the well-tolerated cytokines IL-15 and IL-18 might be an interesting approach for antiretroviral treatment.


Blood ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
HW Ziegler-Heitbrock ◽  
H Rumpold ◽  
D Kraft ◽  
C Wagenpfeil ◽  
R Munker ◽  
...  

Many patients with B-type chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) exhibit a profound defect in their natural killer (NK) cell activity, the basis of which is still obscure. Hence, we analyzed the NK cells from peripheral blood samples from 11 patients with CLL for phenotype and function, after removal of the leukemic cells with a monoclonal antibody (BA-1) plus complement. Phenotypic analysis of these nonleukemic cells with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) against NK cells revealed that the CLL patients had higher percentages of HNK-1-positive cells (23.5% compared to controls with 14.7%). In contrast, VEP13- positive cells were absent or low in seven patients (0.8% compared to controls with 11.2%) and normal in four patients (10.5%). When testing NK cell activities against K562 or MOLT 4 target cells, patients with no or minimal numbers of VEP13-positive cells were found to be deficient, while patients with normal percentages of VEP13-positive cells had NK cell activity comparable to controls. Isolation by fluorescence-activated cell sorter of HNK-1-positive cells from patients lacking VEP13-positive cells and NK cell activity indicated that the majority of the HNK-1-positive cells in these patients had the large granular lymphocyte morphology that is characteristic of NK cells. Thus, the deficiency of NK cell activity in CLL patients appears to result from the absence of cells carrying the VEP13 marker.


1995 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1442-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Palmo ◽  
S. Asp ◽  
J. R. Daugaard ◽  
E. A. Richter ◽  
M. Klokker ◽  
...  

The effect of eccentric one-legged exercise on natural killer (NK) cell activity was studied in eight healthy males. To distinguish between local and systemic effects, blood samples were collected from veins in the exercising leg and resting arm. However, the results did not significantly differ between the leg and arm. To eliminate diurnal variations, the results were compared with a control group that did not exercise but had blood samples collected at the same time points. In the exercising group, plasma creatine kinase increased progressively during and up to 4 days after exercise. The percentage of CD16+ NK cells increased during exercise, which was paralleled by an increase in the NK cell activity per fixed number of blood mononuclear cells. The NK cell activity on a per NK cell basis did not change. The percentage of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, and CD14+ cells did not change significantly during exercise. The present study thus showed that eccentric exercise with a relatively small muscle mass (1 quadriceps femoris muscle) causes systemic effects on NK cells. It is suggested that the increase in plasma epinephrine during eccentric exercise is responsible for the observed increase in the percentage of CD16+ cells.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidehisa Tanaka ◽  
Shunro Kai ◽  
Masao Yamaguchi ◽  
Mahito Misawa ◽  
Yoshihiro Fujimori ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
pp. 4148-4157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huawei Mao ◽  
Wenwei Tu ◽  
Yinping Liu ◽  
Gang Qin ◽  
Jian Zheng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells keep viral infections under control at the early phase by directly killing infected cells. Influenza is an acute contagious respiratory viral disease transmitted from host-to-host in the first few days of infection. The evasion of host innate immune defenses including NK cells is important for its success as a viral pathogen of humans and animals. NK cells encounter influenza virus within the microenvironment of infected cells. It therefore is important to investigate the direct effects of influenza virus on NK cell activity. Recently we demonstrated that influenza virus directly infects human NK cells and induces cell apoptosis to counter their function (H. Mao, W. Tu, G. Qin, H. K. W. Law, S. F. Sia, P.-L. Chan, Y. Liu, K.-T. Lam, J. Zheng, M. Peiris, and Y.-L. Lau, J. Virol. 83:9215-9222, 2009). Here, we further demonstrated that both the intact influenza virion and free hemagglutinin protein inhibited the cytotoxicity of fresh and interleukin-2 (IL-2)-activated primary human NK cells. Hemagglutinin bound and internalized into NK cells via the sialic acids. This interaction did not decrease NKp46 expression but caused the downregulation of the ζ chain through the lysosomal pathway, which caused the decrease of NK cell cytotoxicity mediated by NKp46 and NKp30. The underlying dysregulation of the signaling pathway involved ζ chain downregulation, leading to decreased Syk and ERK activation and granule exocytosis upon target cell stimulation, finally causing reduced cytotoxicity. These findings suggest that influenza virus developed a novel strategy to evade NK cell innate immune defense that is likely to facilitate viral transmission and also contribute to virus pathogenesis.


1993 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 1100-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Klokker ◽  
A. Kharazmi ◽  
H. Galbo ◽  
I. Bygbjerg ◽  
B. K. Pedersen

We have investigated the effects of short-term hypoxia in vivo on the human cellular immune system. Seven young healthy volunteers were placed in a decompression chamber (380 Torr) for 20 min with or without supplemental O2. The leukocyte concentration increased during hypobaric conditions because of an increased concentration of lymphocytes. The absolute and relative concentration of CD16+ natural killer (NK) cells increased markedly during hypoxia and returned to pretest values after 2 h of recovery. The NK cell activity of blood mononuclear cells (BMNC, %lysis/fixed no. of BMNC) boosted with interferon-alpha, interleukin-2 (IL-2), and indomethacin rose in parallel with unboosted NK cell activity during hypoxia. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells declined during hypoxia, whereas the absolute concentration of both CD8+ cells and CD14+ monocytes increased. Although the BMNC composition varied, the proliferative responses of BMNC after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin, purified derivative of tuberculin, and IL-2 did not change significantly. The in vitro production of interleukin-1 beta and IL-2 in supernatants obtained after stimulation of BMNC with phytohemagglutinin or lipopolysaccharide was not affected. The chemiluminescence response of neutrocytes increased 2 h after hypoxia. It was concluded that acute hypoxia induced marked alterations in the immune system and that the NK cells are especially sensitive to the hypoxic stimulus.


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