Project description:Tissue health is dictated by the capacity to respond to perturbations and then return to homeostasis. Mechanisms that initiate, maintain, and regulate immune responses in tissues are therefore essential. Adaptive immunity plays a key role in these responses, with memory and tissue-residency being cardinal features. A corresponding role for innate cells is unknown. Here we have identified a population of innate lymphocytes that we term tissue-resident memory-like natural killer (NKRM) cells. In response to murine cytomegalovirus infection, we show that circulating NK cells were recruited in a CX3CR1-dependent manner to the salivary glands where they formed NKRM cells, a long-lived tissue-resident population that prevented autoimmunity via TRAIL-dependent elimination of CD4+ T cells. Thus, NK cells develop adaptive-like features, including long-term residency in nonlymphoid tissues, to modulate inflammation, restore immune equilibrium and preserve tissue health. Modulating the functions of NKRM cells may provide additional strategies to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Project description:Type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) fulfill protective functions at mucosal surfaces via cytokine production. While their plasticity to become ILC1s, the innate counterparts of type 1 helper T cells, has been described previously, we report that they can differentiate into cytotoxic lymphocytes with many characteristics of early differentiated natural killer (NK) cells. This transition is promoted by the proinflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IL-15, and correlates with expression of the master transcription factor of cytotoxicity eomesodermin (Eomes). As revealed by transcriptome analysis and flow cytometric profiling, differentiated ILC3s express CD94, NKG2A, NKG2C, CD56 and CD16 among other NK cell receptors, and possess all components of the cytotoxic machinery. These characteristics allow them to recognize and kill leukemic cells. Therefore, ILC3s can be harnessed for cytotoxic responses via differentiation under the influence of proinflammatory cytokines.
Project description:Investigation of global gene expression levels between B cells, Natural killer cells and Natural killer B cells Gene expression profiling using sorted B cells, Natural killer cells and Natural killer B cells from WT mouse spleen. Total RNA extracted from WT cells were quantified by the NanoDrop ND-1000 and RNA integrity was assessed by standard denaturing agarose gel electrophoresis. The sample preparation and microarray hybridization were performed based on the NimbleGenâs standard protocols.