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CD11c identifies a subset of murine liver natural killer cells that responds to adenoviral hepatitis
Author(s) -
Burt Bryan M.,
Plitas George,
Stableford Jennifer A.,
Nguyen Hoang M.,
Bamboat Zubin M.,
Pillarisetty Venu G.,
DeMatteo Ronald P.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1189/jlb.0408256
Subject(s) - biology , cd11c , interleukin 12 , interleukin 21 , innate immune system , immunology , natural killer t cell , immune system , lymphokine activated killer cell , effector , phenotype , cytotoxic t cell , t cell , in vitro , gene , biochemistry
The liver contains a unique repertoire of immune cells and a particular abundance of NK cells. We have found that CD11c defines a distinct subset of NK cells (NK1.1 + CD3 − ) in the murine liver whose function was currently unknown. In naïve animals, CD11c + liver NK cells displayed an activated phenotype and possessed enhanced effector functions when compared with CD11c − liver NK cells. During the innate response to adenovirus infection, CD11c + NK cells were the more common IFN‐γ‐producing NK cells in the liver, demonstrated enhanced lytic capability, and gained a modest degree of APC function. The mechanism of IFN‐γ production in vivo depended on TLR9 ligation as well as IL‐12 and ‐18. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that CD11c + NK cells are a unique subset of NK cells in the murine liver that contribute to the defense against adenoviral hepatitis.