HLA-DR⁺ NK cells are mostly characterized by less mature phenotype and high functional activity.

ABSTRACT: NK cells change their phenotype and functional characteristics during activation. In this work, we searched for a relationship of HLA-DR expression with differentiation stages and functional activity of NK cells ex vivo and stimulated in vitro with IL-2 challenged with gene modified feeder K562 cells expressing membrane-bound IL-21 (K562-mbIL21). This stimulation technique has been described for NK cell expansion in clinical use. We have observed that HLA-DR expression in freshly isolated circulating NK cells was mostly associated with less differentiated CD56^bright CD57^- cells, although in some individuals it could also be found in terminally differentiated CD57⁺ cells. Ex vivo HLA-DR⁺ NK cells possessed better capacity to produce IFN-γ in respo

SUBMITTER: Erokhina SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8063572 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature