The Obese Liver Environment Mediates Conversion of NK Cells to a Less Cytotoxic ILC1-Like Phenotype.

ABSTRACT: The liver contains both NK cells and their less cytotoxic relatives, ILC1. Here, we investigate the role of NK cells and ILC1 in the obesity-associated condition, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In the livers of mice suffering from NAFLD, NK cells are less able to degranulate, express lower levels of perforin and are less able to kill cancerous target cells than those from healthy animals. This is associated with a decreased ability to kill cancer cells in vivo. On the other hand, we find that perforin-deficient mice suffer from less severe NAFLD, suggesting that this reduction in NK cell cytotoxicity may be protective in the obese liver, albeit at the cost of increased susceptibility to cancer. The decrease in cytotoxicity is associated with a shift toward a transcriptio

SUBMITTER: Cuff AO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6749082 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature