TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of natural killer cells in TAP2-deficient patients
T2 - Expression of functional triggering receptors and evidence for the existence of inhibitory receptor(s) that prevent lysis of normal autologous cells
AU - Vitale, Massimo
AU - Zimmer, Jacques
AU - Castriconi, Roberta
AU - Hanau, Daniel
AU - Donato, Lionel
AU - Bottino, Cristina
AU - Moretta, Lorenzo
AU - De La Salle, Henri
AU - Moretta, Alessandro
PY - 2002/3/1
Y1 - 2002/3/1
N2 - Natural killer (NK) cells are characterized by the ability to kill cells that lack HLA class I molecules while sparing autologous normal (HLA class I+) cells. However, patients with transporter-associated antigen processing (TAP) deficiency, though displaying strong reductions of HLA class I surface expression, in most instances do not experience NK-mediated autoimmune phenomena. A possible mechanism by which TAP-/- NK cells avoid autoreactivity against autologous HLA class I-deficient cells could be based on either quantitative or qualitative defects of surface receptors involved in NK cell triggering. In this study we show that NK cells derived from 2 patients with TAP2-/- express normal levels of all known triggering receptors. As revealed by the analysis of polyclonal and clonal NK cells, these receptors display normal functional capabilities and allow the killing of a panel of NK-susceptible targets, including autologous B-LCLs. On the other hand, TAP2-/- NK cells were unable to kill either allogeneic (HLA class I+) or autologous (HLA class I-) phytohemagglutinin (PHA) blasts even in the presence of anti-HLA class I monoclonal antibody. These data suggest that TAP2-/- NK cells express still unknown inhibitory receptor(s) capable of down-regulating the NK cell cytotoxicity on binding to surface ligand(s) expressed by T cell blasts. Functional analyses, both at the polyclonal and at the clonal level, are consistent with the concept that the putative inhibitory receptor is expressed by virtually all TAP2-/- NK cells, whereas it is present only in rare NK cells from healthy persons. Another possibility would be that TAP2-/- NK cells are missing a still unidentified triggering receptor involved in NK cell-mediated killing of PHA blasts.
AB - Natural killer (NK) cells are characterized by the ability to kill cells that lack HLA class I molecules while sparing autologous normal (HLA class I+) cells. However, patients with transporter-associated antigen processing (TAP) deficiency, though displaying strong reductions of HLA class I surface expression, in most instances do not experience NK-mediated autoimmune phenomena. A possible mechanism by which TAP-/- NK cells avoid autoreactivity against autologous HLA class I-deficient cells could be based on either quantitative or qualitative defects of surface receptors involved in NK cell triggering. In this study we show that NK cells derived from 2 patients with TAP2-/- express normal levels of all known triggering receptors. As revealed by the analysis of polyclonal and clonal NK cells, these receptors display normal functional capabilities and allow the killing of a panel of NK-susceptible targets, including autologous B-LCLs. On the other hand, TAP2-/- NK cells were unable to kill either allogeneic (HLA class I+) or autologous (HLA class I-) phytohemagglutinin (PHA) blasts even in the presence of anti-HLA class I monoclonal antibody. These data suggest that TAP2-/- NK cells express still unknown inhibitory receptor(s) capable of down-regulating the NK cell cytotoxicity on binding to surface ligand(s) expressed by T cell blasts. Functional analyses, both at the polyclonal and at the clonal level, are consistent with the concept that the putative inhibitory receptor is expressed by virtually all TAP2-/- NK cells, whereas it is present only in rare NK cells from healthy persons. Another possibility would be that TAP2-/- NK cells are missing a still unidentified triggering receptor involved in NK cell-mediated killing of PHA blasts.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036493593&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1182/blood.V99.5.1723
DO - 10.1182/blood.V99.5.1723
M3 - Article
C2 - 11861289
AN - SCOPUS:0036493593
SN - 0006-4971
VL - 99
SP - 1723
EP - 1729
JO - Blood
JF - Blood
IS - 5
ER -