A novel spleen-resident immature NK cell subset and its maturation in a T-bet-dependent manner.

A novel spleen-resident immature NK cell subset and its maturation in a T-bet-dependent manner. J Autoimmun. 2019 Jul 24;:102307 Authors: Wang B, Zhou J, Chen Y, Wei H, Sun R, Tian Z, Peng H Abstract NK cells are thought to develop primarily in the bone marrow during adult life. However, increasing evidence shows that NK cell developmental intermediates can be found in different peripheral tissues with unique characteristics. Here, we identified a unique NK cell subset with the CD49a-CD49b- phenotype in the spleen. These cells displayed an immature phenotype and weak abilities in cytotoxicity and cytokine production. Adoptive transfer experiments revealed that they could develop into mature conventional NK (cNK) cells. Transcriptome analysis further confirmed their immature features. Parabiosis experiments revealed that these cells maintained tissue-resident properties in the spleen. Moreover, T-bet deficiency intrinsically impaired the ability of these cells to develop into mature cNK cells. Thus, our study identified a spleen-resident immature NK cell subset that could undergo extramedullary maturation in a T-bet dependent manner. PMID: 31351783 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Autoimmunity - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: J Autoimmun Source Type: research