Proliferation of alloreactive human natural killer cells independent of specific allogeneic stimulation

HS Warren, BF Kinnear, CS Witt… - International …, 1994 - academic.oup.com
HS Warren, BF Kinnear, CS Witt, FT Christiansen
International immunology, 1994academic.oup.com
This study establishes that natural killer (NK) cells cytolytlc for B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-
LCL) expressing NK-deflned alloantigerts can be stimulated to proliferate in culture
independently of allogeneic stimulation. NK cells proliferate following co-culture with a γ-
lrradlated malignant melanoma cell line (MM-170) and IL-2-condltioned medium. The
cultured NK cells from some donors showed a high level of cytotoxicity against NK-1+ B-LCL
and this corresponded with a high precursor frequency (46–64%) determined from limiting …
Abstract
This study establishes that natural killer (NK) cells cytolytlc for B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) expressing NK-deflned alloantigerts can be stimulated to proliferate in culture independently of allogeneic stimulation. NK cells proliferate following co-culture with a γ-lrradlated malignant melanoma cell line (MM-170) and IL-2-condltioned medium. The cultured NK cells from some donors showed a high level of cytotoxicity against NK-1+ B-LCL and this corresponded with a high precursor frequency (46–64%) determined from limiting dilution analysis. Alloreactive NK cells proliferated in cultures containing autologous activated T cells, demonstrating that alloantlgens were not essential to stimulate proliferation. B-LCL expressing NK-1 or NK-2 or neither of these alloantigens stimulated proliferation of NK cells cytolytlc for NK-1+ B-LCL. Studies using metabollcally inactivated B-LCL confirmed that stimulation was not alloantlgen dependent. The results demonstrate that recognition of alloantlgens by NK cells, sufficient to trigger their lytlc program, is not required and indeed is not sufficient to confer a stimulatory signal for proliferation of alloreactive NK cells.
Oxford University Press