scholarly journals Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation Represses the Early Immune Response Against Murine Cytomegalovirus but Enhances NK Cell Effector Function

Author(s):  
Shuting Wu ◽  
Lili Wang ◽  
Hongyan Peng ◽  
Shuju Zhang ◽  
Qinglan Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation is beneficial for several chronic diseases; however, its effect on immune regulation is still debated. Given the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and because natural killer (NK) cells are the component of innate immunity critical for controlling CMV infection, the current study explored the effect of a DHA-enriched diet on susceptibility and the NK cell effector response to murine (M) CMV infection. Results Male C57BL/6 mice fed a control or DHA-enriched diet for 3 weeks were infected with MCMV and sacrificed at the indicated time points postinfection. Compared with control mice, DHA-fed mice had higher liver and spleen viral loads on day 7 postinfection, but final MCMV clearance was not affected. The ratio and total numbers of NK cells and their terminal mature cell subset (KLRG1+ and Ly49H+ NK cells) were reduced compared with those in control mice on day 7 but not day 21 postinfection. DHA feeding resulted in higher IFN-γ and granzyme B expression in splenic NK cells on day 7 postinfection. A mechanistic analysis showed that the splenic NK cells of DHA-fed mice showed enhanced glucose uptake, increased CD71 and CD98 expression, and higher mitochondrial mass and activity than those of control mice. In addition, DHA-fed mice showed reductions in the total numbers and activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Conclusions These results suggest that DHA supplementation represses the early response to CMV infection but preserves NK cell effector functions by improving mitochondrial activity, which may play critical roles in subsequent MCMV clearance.

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakia Djaoud ◽  
Raphaëlle Riou ◽  
Pierre-Jean Gavlovsky ◽  
Souad Mehlal ◽  
Céline Bressollette ◽  
...  

Among innate cells, natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the defense against cytomegalovirus (CMV). In some individuals, CMV infection induces the expansion of NKG2C+ NK cells that persist after control of the infection. We have previously shown that KIR2DL+ NK cells, in contrast to NKG2C+ NK cells, contribute to controlling CMV infection using a CMV-infected monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MDDC) model. However, the nature of CMV-infected cells contributing to the expansion of the NKG2C+ NK cell subset remains unclear. To gain more insight into this question, we investigated the contribution of NKG2C+ NK cell activation by CMV-infected primary human aortic endothelial cells (EC) isolated from kidney transplant donors, which constitutively express the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E molecule. Here, we show that, although classic HLA class I expression was drastically downregulated, nonclassic HLA-E expression was maintained in CMV-infected EC. By comparing HLA expression patterns in CMV-infected EC, fibroblasts and MDDC, we demonstrate a cell-dependent modulation of HLA-E expression by CMV infection. NKG2C+ NK cell degranulation was significantly triggered by CMV-infected EC regardless of the nature of the HLA-E allele product. EC, predominantly present in vessels, may constitute a privileged site for CMV infection that drives a ‘memory' NKG2C+ NK cell subset.


1999 ◽  
Vol 190 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Cretney ◽  
Mariapia A. Degli-Esposti ◽  
Eloise H. Densley ◽  
Helen E. Farrell ◽  
Nick J. Davis-Poynter ◽  
...  

Until now, it has been unclear whether murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-encoded protein m144 directly regulates natural killer (NK) cell effector function and whether the effects of m144 are only strictly evident in the context of MCMV infection. We have generated clones of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-2–deficient RMA-S T lymphoma cell line and its parent cell line, RMA, that stably express significant and equivalent levels of m144. In vivo NK cell–mediated rejection of RMA-S-m144 lymphomas was reduced compared with rejection of parental or mock-transfected RMA-S clones, indicating the ability of m144 to regulate NK cell–mediated responses in vivo. Significantly, the accumulation of NK cells in the peritoneum was reduced in mice challenged with RMA-S-m144, as was the lytic activity of NK cells recovered from the peritoneum. Expression of m144 on RMA-S cells also conferred resistance to cytotoxicity mediated in vitro by interleukin 2–activated adherent spleen NK cells. In summary, the data demonstrate that m144 confers some protection from NK cell effector function mediated in the absence of target cell class I expression, but that in vivo the major effect of m144 is to regulate NK cell accumulation and activation at the site of immune challenge.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivayla E. Gyurova ◽  
Heinrich Schlums ◽  
Heidi Sucharew ◽  
Lilliam Ambroggio ◽  
David E. Ochayon ◽  
...  

Individuals lacking functional natural killer (NK) cells suffer severe, recurrent infections with cytomegalovirus (CMV), highlighting the critical role of NK cells in antiviral defense. Therefore, ongoing attempts to develop an efficacious vaccine to prevent CMV infection should potentially aim to elicit NK-cell antiviral responses as an accessory to conventional T- and B-cell based approaches. In this regard, CMV infection provokes marked phenotypic and functional differentiation of the NK-cell compartment, including development of adaptive NK cells that exhibit enhanced antiviral activity. We examined longitudinal blood samples collected from 40 CMV-seronegative adolescents to ascertain whether a CMV glycoprotein B (gB) vaccine in the absence of CMV infection can stimulate differentiation or expansion of CMV-associated subsets of NK cells. Study participants uniformly lacked the CMV-dependent NKG2C+ subset of NK cells, suggesting that an adjuvanted CMV gB vaccine alone is an inadequate stimulus for sustained expansion of these cells. In contrast, we observed unexpected dynamic fluctuations in the frequency of NK cells lacking FcRγ, EAT-2, and SYK, which were independent of vaccination or CMV infection. Whereas FcRγ neg NK cells in CMV infection are reported to express increased levels of the maturation marker CD57, the FcRγneg NK cells observed in our CMV-negative vaccine cohort express less CD57 than their FcRγ+ counterparts. The FcRγneg NK cells in CMV-negative individuals were also functionally distinct from this subset in CMV infection, exhibiting comparable IFN-γ production and degranulation as FcRγ+ NK cells in response to cytokine or antibody-dependent stimuli. These results suggest that frequencies of some NK cell subsets may increase in response to unknown environmental or inflammatory cues distinct from that which occurs after CMV infection. Greater understanding of the nature of the signals driving CMV-independent accumulation of these subsets should permit development of mechanisms to facilitate vaccine-driven expansion of CMV-reactive NK cells.


Author(s):  
Leoni Rolfes ◽  
Tobias Ruck ◽  
Christina David ◽  
Stine Mencl ◽  
Stefanie Bock ◽  
...  

AbstractRag1−/− mice, lacking functional B and T cells, have been extensively used as an adoptive transfer model to evaluate neuroinflammation in stroke research. However, it remains unknown whether natural killer (NK) cell development and functions are altered in Rag1−/− mice as well. This connection has been rarely discussed in previous studies but might have important implications for data interpretation. In contrast, the NOD-Rag1nullIL2rgnull (NRG) mouse model is devoid of NK cells and might therefore eliminate this potential shortcoming. Here, we compare immune-cell frequencies as well as phenotype and effector functions of NK cells in Rag1−/− and wildtype (WT) mice using flow cytometry and functional in vitro assays. Further, we investigate the effect of Rag1−/− NK cells in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model using antibody-mediated depletion of NK cells and adoptive transfer to NRG mice in vivo. NK cells in Rag1−/− were comparable in number and function to those in WT mice. Rag1−/− mice treated with an anti-NK1.1 antibody developed significantly smaller infarctions and improved behavioral scores. Correspondingly, NRG mice supplemented with NK cells were more susceptible to tMCAO, developing infarctions and neurological deficits similar to Rag1−/− controls. Our results indicate that NK cells from Rag1−/− mice are fully functional and should therefore be considered in the interpretation of immune-cell transfer models in experimental stroke. Fortunately, we identified the NRG mice, as a potentially better-suited transfer model to characterize individual cell subset-mediated neuroinflammation in stroke.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 866
Author(s):  
Baca Chan ◽  
Maja Arapović ◽  
Laura Masters ◽  
Francois Rwandamuiye ◽  
Stipan Jonjić ◽  
...  

As the largest herpesviruses, the 230 kb genomes of cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) have increased our understanding of host immunity and viral escape mechanisms, although many of the annotated genes remain as yet uncharacterised. Here we identify the m15 locus of murine CMV (MCMV) as a viral modulator of natural killer (NK) cell immunity. We show that, rather than discrete transcripts from the m14, m15 and m16 genes as annotated, there are five 3′-coterminal transcripts expressed over this region, all utilising a consensus polyA tail at the end of the m16 gene. Functional inactivation of any one of these genes had no measurable impact on viral replication. However, disruption of all five transcripts led to significantly attenuated dissemination to, and replication in, the salivary glands of multiple strains of mice, but normal growth during acute infection. Disruption of the m15 locus was associated with heightened NK cell responses, including enhanced proliferation and IFNγ production. Depletion of NK cells, but not T cells, rescued salivary gland replication and viral shedding. These data demonstrate the identification of multiple transcripts expressed by a single locus which modulate, perhaps in a concerted fashion, the function of anti-viral NK cells.


Author(s):  
Elena Pánisová ◽  
Anna Lünemann ◽  
Simone Bürgler ◽  
Monika Kotur ◽  
Julien Lazarovici ◽  
...  

AbstractAround 30–50% of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) cases in immunocompetent individuals from industrialized countries are associated with the B-lymphotropic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Although natural killer (NK) cells exhibit anti-viral and anti-tumoral functions, virtually nothing is known about quantitative and qualitative differences in NK cells in patients with EBV+ cHL vs. EBV- cHL. Here, we prospectively investigated 36 cHL patients without known immune suppression or overt immunodeficiency at diagnosis. All 10 EBV+ cHL patients and 25 out 26 EBV- cHL were seropositive for EBV antibodies, and EBV+ cHL patients presented with higher plasma EBV DNA levels compared to EBV- cHL patients. We show that the CD56dim CD16+ NK cell subset was decreased in frequency in EBV+ cHL patients compared to EBV- cHL patients. This quantitative deficiency translates into an impaired CD56dim NK cell mediated degranulation toward rituximab-coated HLA class 1 negative lymphoblastoid cells in EBV+ compared to EBV- cHL patients. We finally observed a trend to a decrease in the rituximab-associated degranulation and ADCC of in vitro expanded NK cells of EBV+ cHL compared to healthy controls. Our findings may impact on the design of adjunctive treatment targeting antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in EBV+ cHL.


2008 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1719-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semih Esin ◽  
Giovanna Batoni ◽  
Claudio Counoupas ◽  
Annarita Stringaro ◽  
Franca Lisa Brancatisano ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Our previous studies demonstrated that Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) can directly interact with human NK cells and induce the proliferation, gamma interferon production, and cytotoxic activity of such cells without the need for accessory cells. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify the putative receptor(s) responsible for the recognition of BCG by human NK cells and potentially involved in the activation of NK cells. To this end, we first investigated the surface expression of three NK cell-activating receptors belonging to the natural cytoxicity receptor (NCR) family on highly purified human NK cells upon in vitro direct stimulation with BCG. An induction of the surface expression of NKp44, but not of NKp30 or NKp46, was observed after 3 and 4 days of in vitro stimulation with live BCG. The NKp44 induction involved mainly a particular NK cell subset expressing the CD56 marker at high density, CD56bright. In order to establish whether NKp44 could directly bind to BCG, whole BCG cells were stained with soluble forms of the three NCRs chimeric for the human immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc fragment (NKp30-Fc, NKp44-Fc, NKp46-Fc), followed by incubation with a phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated goat anti-human IgG antibody. Analysis by flow cytometry of the complexes revealed a higher PE fluorescence intensity for BCG incubated with NKp44-Fc than for BCG incubated with NKp30-Fc, NKp46-Fc, or negative controls. The binding of NKp44-Fc to the BCG surface was confirmed with immunogold labeling using transmission electron microscopy, suggesting the presence of a putative ligand(s) for human NKp44 on the BCG cell wall. Similar binding assays performed on a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria revealed a pattern of NKp44-Fc binding restricted to members of the genus Mycobacterium, to the mycobacterium-related species Nocardia farcinica, and to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Altogether, the results obtained indicate, for the first time, that at least one member of the NCR family (NKp44) may be involved in the direct recognition of bacterial pathogens by human NK cells.


2016 ◽  
Vol 197 (6) ◽  
pp. 2325-2337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mir Munir A. Rahim ◽  
Andrew Wight ◽  
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud ◽  
Oscar A. Aguilar ◽  
Seung-Hwan Lee ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 184 (6) ◽  
pp. 2119-2128 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.H. Mason ◽  
S.K. Anderson ◽  
W.M. Yokoyama ◽  
H.R.C. Smith ◽  
R. Winkler-Pickett ◽  
...  

Proteins encoded by members of the Ly-49 gene family are predominantly expressed on murine natural killer (NK) cells. Several members of this gene family have been demonstrated to inhibit NK cell lysis upon recognizing their class I ligands on target cells. In this report, we present data supporting that not all Ly-49 proteins inhibit NK cell function. Our laboratory has generated and characterized a monoclonal antibody (mAb) (12A8) that can be used to recognize the Ly-49D subset of murine NK cells. Transfection of Cos-7 cells with known members of the Ly-49 gene family revealed that 12A8 recognizes Ly-49D, but also cross-reacts with the Ly-49A protein on B6 NK cells. In addition, 12A8 demonstrates reactivity by both immunoprecipitation and two-color flow cytometry analysis with an NK cell subset that is distinct from those expressing Ly-49A, C, or G2. An Ly-49D+ subset of NK cells that did not express Ly49A, C, and G2 was isolated and examined for their functional capabilities. Tumor targets and concanovalin A (ConA) lymphoblasts from a variety of H2 haplotypes were examined for their susceptibility to lysis by Ly-49D+ NK cells. None of the major histocompatibility complex class I–bearing targets inhibited lysis of Ly-49D+ NK cells. More importantly, we demonstrate that the addition of mAb 12A8 to Ly-49D+ NK cells can augment lysis of FcγR+ target cells in a reverse antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity–type assay and induces apoptosis in Ly49D+ NK cells. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic domain of Ly-49D does not contain the V/IxYxxL immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif found in Ly-49A, C, or G2 that has been characterized in the human p58 killer inhibitory receptors. Therefore, Ly-49D is the first member of the Ly-49 family characterized as transmitting positive signals to NK cells, rather than inhibiting NK cell function.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Gentile ◽  
Yue Li ◽  
Amicha Robertson ◽  
Kathleen Shah ◽  
Ghislaine Fontes ◽  
...  

AbstractParasitic helminths cause significant damage as they migrate through host tissues to complete their life cycle. While chronic helminth infections are characterized by a well-described Type 2 immune response, the early, tissue-invasive stages are not well understood. Here we investigate the immune pathways activated during the early stages of Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri (Hpb), a natural parasitic roundworm of mice. In contrast to the Type 2 immune response present at later stages of infection, a robust Type 1 immune signature including IFNg production was dominant at the time of parasite invasion and granuloma formation. This early response was associated with an accumulation of activated Natural Killer (NK) cells, with no increase of other innate lymphoid cell populations. Parabiosis and confocal microscopy studies indicated that NK cells were recruited from circulation to the small intestine, where they surrounded parasitic larvae. NK cell recruitment required IFNγ receptor signaling, but was independent of CXCR3 expression. The depletion of tissue-infiltrating NK cells altered neither worm burden nor parasite fitness, but increased vascular injury, suggesting a role for NK cells in mediating tissue protection. Together, these data identify an unexpected role for NK cells in promoting disease tolerance during the invasive stage of an enteric helminth infection.


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