A Dual Role for Talin in NK Cell Cytotoxicity: Activation of LFA-1-Mediated Cell Adhesion and Polarization of NK Cells

LFA-1 is critical for NK cell cytotoxicity because it mediates adhesion of NK cells to target cells. Talin is thought to associate with the cytoplasmic tail of LFA-1 and activates its ligand-binding function. In this study, we report that talin is also required for LFA-1-mediated outside-in signaling leading to NK cell polarization. NK cells generated from talin1-deficient murine embryonic stem cells are defective in LFA-1-mediated adhesion. Although exogenously added manganese activates LFA-1 on talin-deficient NK cells and induces conjugate formation with target cells, their LFA-1-dependent cytotoxicity is impaired. Binding of ICAM-1-coated beads to wild-type NK cells induces reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and coligation of the activating receptor NKG2D induces polarization of cytotoxic granules, whereas talin1-deficient NK cells fail to polarize with or without NKG2D coligation. Thus, talin1 plays a dual role in NK cell cytotoxicity, first by activation of LFA-1-mediated adhesion and then via LFA-1-induced NK cell polarization.