Project description:Human Natural Killer (NK) cells comprise two main subsets, CD56bright and CD56dim cells, that differ in function, phenotype and tissue localization. To further dissect the heterogeneity of CD56dim cells, we have performed transcriptome analysis and functional ex vivo characterization of human NK cell subsets according to the expression of markers related to differentiation, migration or competence. Here, we show for the first time that the ability to respond to cytokines or to activating receptors is mutually exclusive in almost all NK cells with the exception of CD56dim CD62L+ cells. Indeed, only these cells combine the ability to produce interferon (IFN)-gamma after cytokines and proliferate in vivo during viral infection with the capacity to kill and produce cytokines upon engagement of activating receptors. Therefore, CD56dim CD62L+ cells represent a unique subset of polyfunctional NK cells. Ex vivo analysis of their function, phenotype, telomere length, frequencies during ageing as well as transfer experiments of NK cell subsets into immunodeficient mice suggest that CD56dim CD62L+ cells represent an intermediate stage of NK cell maturation, which after restimulation can accomplish multiple tasks and further develop into terminally differentiated effectors. Gene expression profiles of FACSAria sorted CD3- CD56bright CD62L+, CD3- CD56dim CD62L+ and CD3- CD56dim CD62L- NK cells from human peripheral blood of three donors were compared using Affymetrix GeneChip Human Genome HG-U133_Plus_2. After total RNA extraction, reverse transcription, cDNA extraction, the biotinylated cRNA was transcribed, fragmented, and 15 µg cRNA hybridized in triplicates for each of the three groups to the GeneChip arrays. Group1: CD3- CD56bright CD62L+,.Group2: CD3- CD56dim CD62L+, Group3: CD3- CD56dim CD62L-. Lists of differentially regulated genes were created using High Performance Chip Data Analysis (HPCDA) with Bioretis database (http://www.bioretis-analysis.de). Worldwide data sharing is possible via Bioretis, please ask the authors.
Project description:Constitutively found at high frequencies, the role for NK cell proliferation remains unclear. Here, a shift in NK cell function from predominantly producing interferon-? (IFN-?), a cytokine with proinflammatory and antimicrobial functions, to producing the immunoregulatory cytokine IL-10, is defined during extended murine cytomegalovirus infection. The NK cells driven to express IL-10 in vivo acquired responsiveness to IL-12 and IL-21 for IL-10 production, but neither cytokine was required for the endogenous response. In vitro studies with IL-2 to support proliferation and in vivo adoptive transfers into murine cytomegalovirus-infected mice demonstrated that NK cell proliferation and further division enhanced the change. During infection, the responding NK cells acquired histone modifications indicative of an open IL-10 gene, and an IL-10 response was proliferation dependent ex vivo if the NK cells had not yet expanded in vivo but independent if they had. Thus, a novel role for proliferation in supporting changing innate cell function is discovered. The chromatin status of ex vivo isolated NK cells during MCMV infection was investigated by ChIP-seq on histone epigenetic marks (H3K4m3, H3K27m3, H3K36m3) on day 0, day 1.5 and day 3.5 post infection.
Project description:Human Natural Killer (NK) cells comprise two main subsets, CD56bright and CD56dim cells, that differ in function, phenotype and tissue localization. To further dissect the heterogeneity of CD56dim cells, we have performed transcriptome analysis and functional ex vivo characterization of human NK cell subsets according to the expression of markers related to differentiation, migration or competence. Here, we show for the first time that the ability to respond to cytokines or to activating receptors is mutually exclusive in almost all NK cells with the exception of CD56dim CD62L+ cells. Indeed, only these cells combine the ability to produce interferon (IFN)-gamma after cytokines and proliferate in vivo during viral infection with the capacity to kill and produce cytokines upon engagement of activating receptors. Therefore, CD56dim CD62L+ cells represent a unique subset of polyfunctional NK cells. Ex vivo analysis of their function, phenotype, telomere length, frequencies during ageing as well as transfer experiments of NK cell subsets into immunodeficient mice suggest that CD56dim CD62L+ cells represent an intermediate stage of NK cell maturation, which after restimulation can accomplish multiple tasks and further develop into terminally differentiated effectors.
Project description:Ex vivo activation and expansion of natural killer (NK) cells is a strategy to produce sufficient numbers of these effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Therefore we aimed at the development of an automated, clinical scale NK cell expansion process and compared NK cells after manual and automated expansion.We found only a small subset of 124 genes that significantly varied between both sample groups. These genes were associated with movement of leukocytes were identified including a group of genes for NK cell movement (CMKLR1, CX3CR1, S1PR5, GNLY and CXCR1) which were slightly higher expressed after automated compared to manual expansion. Nevertheless, the expansion profiles of NK cells after automated or manual expansion were rather similar in comparison to the remarkable difference between primary and expanded NK cells in general represented by the vast majority of regulated genes between the analyzed sample groups. Pathway analysis revealed that most of regulated genes upon expansion were associated with cell cycle regulation, DNA replication, DNA recombination and DNA repair, regulation of apoptosis and cell survival as well as cytokine signaling. Furthermore, the expression of many NK cell relevant markers was changed upon expansion with the strongest effects on up regulation of TRAIL and FASL, inhibitory TIGIT and chemokine receptors CCR2, CCR5 and CXCR6. In addition, granzyme M was down regulated but other important effector molecules like TNFa, perforin and granzymes A, B and K were up regulated. In summary we could show that manual and automatically expanded NK cells show a similar expansion profile while the differ significantly from primary NK cells. Up regulation of many NK cell relevant markers indicate for an enhanced NK cell functionaility after ex vivo activation and expansion. 24 samples were analyzed in total. 6 biological replicates represented by cells from different donors. 4 different samples per donor: freshly isolated NK cells (d0) and NK cells expanded for 14 days under 3 different conditions: in co-culture with EBV-LCL feeder cells and 500 U/mL IL2 either cultivated manually in T75 flasks (T) or automatically using the CliniMACS Prodigy system (P); NK cells cultured with 500 U/ml IL2 without feeder cells (I)
Project description:Ex vivo activation and expansion of natural killer (NK) cells is a strategy to produce sufficient numbers of these effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Therefore we aimed at the development of an automated, clinical scale NK cell expansion process and compared NK cells after manual and automated expansion.We found only a small subset of 124 genes that significantly varied between both sample groups. These genes were associated with movement of leukocytes were identified including a group of genes for NK cell movement (CMKLR1, CX3CR1, S1PR5, GNLY and CXCR1) which were slightly higher expressed after automated compared to manual expansion. Nevertheless, the expansion profiles of NK cells after automated or manual expansion were rather similar in comparison to the remarkable difference between primary and expanded NK cells in general represented by the vast majority of regulated genes between the analyzed sample groups. Pathway analysis revealed that most of regulated genes upon expansion were associated with cell cycle regulation, DNA replication, DNA recombination and DNA repair, regulation of apoptosis and cell survival as well as cytokine signaling. Furthermore, the expression of many NK cell relevant markers was changed upon expansion with the strongest effects on up regulation of TRAIL and FASL, inhibitory TIGIT and chemokine receptors CCR2, CCR5 and CXCR6. In addition, granzyme M was down regulated but other important effector molecules like TNFa, perforin and granzymes A, B and K were up regulated. In summary we could show that manual and automatically expanded NK cells show a similar expansion profile while the differ significantly from primary NK cells. Up regulation of many NK cell relevant markers indicate for an enhanced NK cell functionaility after ex vivo activation and expansion.
Project description:Analysis of ex vivo isolated lymphatic endothelial cells from the dermis of patients to define type 2 diabetes-induced changes. Results preveal aberrant dermal lymphangiogenesis and provide insight into its role in the pathogenesis of persistent skin inflammation in type 2 diabetes. The ex vivo dLEC transcriptome reveals a dramatic influence of the T2D environment on multiple molecular and cellular processes, mirroring the phenotypic changes seen in T2D affected skin. The positively and negatively correlated dLEC transcripts directly cohere to prolonged inflammatory periods and reduced infectious resistance of patients´ skin. Further, lymphatic vessels might be involved in tissue remodeling processes during T2D induced skin alterations associated with impaired wound healing and altered dermal architecture. Hence, dermal lymphatic vessels might be directly associated with T2D disease promotion. Global gene expression profile of normal dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (ndLECs) compared to dermal lymphatic endothelial cells derived from type 2 diabetic patients (dLECs).Quadruplicate biological samples were analyzed from human lymphatic endothelial cells (4 x diabetic; 4 x non-diabetic). subsets: 1 disease state set (dLECs), 1 control set (ndLECs)
Project description:The study involves the planned use of a new microwave-based device during colonoscopy procedures in a small group of patients to assess the preliminary safety of its use and lack of normal clinical practice modification. The device is a final design version, which has been previously tested in several preclinical studies, including: phantom studies, an ex vivo study with human tissues, and an in vivo study with animal model (pig).
Project description:Analysis of ex vivo isolated lymphatic endothelial cells from the dermis of patients to define type 2 diabetes-induced changes. Results preveal aberrant dermal lymphangiogenesis and provide insight into its role in the pathogenesis of persistent skin inflammation in type 2 diabetes. The ex vivo dLEC transcriptome reveals a dramatic influence of the T2D environment on multiple molecular and cellular processes, mirroring the phenotypic changes seen in T2D affected skin. The positively and negatively correlated dLEC transcripts directly cohere to prolonged inflammatory periods and reduced infectious resistance of patients´ skin. Further, lymphatic vessels might be involved in tissue remodeling processes during T2D induced skin alterations associated with impaired wound healing and altered dermal architecture. Hence, dermal lymphatic vessels might be directly associated with T2D disease promotion.