Peripheral natural killer cell maturation depends on the transcription factor Aiolos.

ABSTRACT: Natural killer (NK) cells are an innate lymphoid cell lineage characterized by their capacity to provide rapid effector functions, including cytokine production and cytotoxicity. Here, we identify the Ikaros family member, Aiolos, as a regulator of NK-cell maturation. Aiolos expression is initiated at the point of lineage commitment and maintained throughout NK-cell ontogeny. Analysis of cell surface markers representative of distinct stages of peripheral NK-cell maturation revealed that Aiolos was required for the maturation in the spleen of CD11b(high)CD27(-) NK cells. The differentiation block was intrinsic to the NK-cell lineage and resembled that found in mice lacking either T-bet or Blimp1; however, genetic analysis revealed that Aiolos acted independently of all other known regulato

SUBMITTER: Holmes ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4282578 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature