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Role of Natural Killer Cells in Resistance to Systemic Cryptococcosis
Author(s) -
Salkowski Cindy A.,
Balish Edward
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1002/jlb.50.2.151
Subject(s) - cryptococcus neoformans , cryptococcosis , biology , spleen , natural killer cell , interleukin 12 , immunology , monoclonal antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody , in vitro , cytotoxicity , cytotoxic t cell , biochemistry
These studies demonstrate that Cryptococccus neoformans infection induced a dose‐dependent augmentation of splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity by bg/+, but not bg/bg mice. To directly assess the role of NK cells in resistance to C. neoformans , bg/+ and bg/bg mice were treated with anti‐NK‐1.1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Anti‐NK‐1.1‐treatment abrogated the augmented NK cell activity observed during C. neoformans infection in bg/+ mice. Anti‐NK‐1.1‐treated bg/+ mice had higher C. neoformans colony forming units (CFU) in their lungs on days 3 and 7 after intravenous (i.v.) challenge than control bg/+ mice. Moreover, the number of C. neoformans CFU in the lungs of anti‐NK‐1.1‐treated bg/+ mice on days 3 and 7 were similar to those observed for infected bg/bg mice. By day 14, however, no differences in C. neoformans CFU were evident in the lungs of anti‐NK‐1.1‐treated and control bg/+ mice. Anti‐NK‐1.1‐treatment did not alter either the growth of C. neoformans in the spleens, livers, kidneys, or brain of bg/+ mice or the susceptibility of bg/bg mice to systemic cryptococcosis. These studies suggest that NK cells do not play a role in resistance to systemic cryptococcosis in the spleen, but do appear to play an early, but transient role in resistance to C. neoformans in the lungs. Overall, congenital defects in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and macrophages (Mφs), in addition to defects in NK cells, contribute to the enhanced susceptibility of bg/bg mice to systemic cryptococcosis.