Journal Article

SIV-induced terminally differentiated adaptive NK cells in lymph nodes associated with enhanced MHC-E restricted activity

Harper, Justin L., Contreras, Vanessa, Jacquelin, Beatrice, Le Grand, Roger, Madec, Yoann, Huot, Nicolas, Sauermann, Ulrike, Saez-Cirion, Asier, Kirchhoff, Frank, Petitdemange, Caroline, Passaes, Caroline, Legendre, Rachel, Müller-Trutwin, Michaela, Paiardini, Mirko, Rascle, Philippe, Stürzel, Christina M., Varet, Hugo, Stahl-Hennig, Christiane, Keith Reeves, R., Baquero, Eduard, Nattermann, Jacob

2021

Overview

Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical understudied role during HIV infection in tissues. In a natural host of SIV, the African green monkey (AGM), NK cells mediate a strong control of SIVagm infection in secondary lymphoid tissues. We demonstrate that SIVagm infection induces the expansion of terminally differentiated NKG2a low NK cells in secondary lymphoid organs displaying an adaptive transcriptional profile and increased MHC-E-restricted cytotoxicity in response to SIV Env peptides while expressing little IFN-γ. Such NK cell differentiation was lacking in SIVmac-infected macaques. Adaptive NK cells displayed no increased NKG2C expression. This study reveals a previously unknown profile of NK cell adaptation to a viral infection, thus accelerating strategies toward NK-cell directed therapies and viral control in tissues. NK cells control SIV infection in secondary lymphoid tissues in the natural host that typically doesn’t progress toward disease. Here the authors show that this control is associated with terminal NK cell differentiation and improved MHC-E-dependent activity lacking in pathogenic SIV infection.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 13/31 / 13/51 / 38 / 38/91 / 631/250/1619/382 / 631/250/1620/1616 / 631/250/255/2514 / 631/326/596/1787 / 64 / Algorithms / Animals / CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - cytology / CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism / Cell Differentiation / Cell Differentiation - genetics / Cell Differentiation - physiology / Chlorocebus aethiops / Cytotoxicity / Differentiation (biology) / Female / Flow Cytometry / Fluorescent Antibody Technique / HIV / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Infections / K562 Cells / Killer Cells, Natural / Killer Cells, Natural - cytology / Killer Cells, Natural - metabolism / Life Sciences / Lymph Nodes / Lymph Nodes - metabolism / Lymphoid Tissue / Lymphoid Tissue - cytology / Lymphoid Tissue - metabolism / Macaca / Major histocompatibility complex / Male / multidisciplinary / Natural killer cells / NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C / NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C - metabolism / NKG2 antigen / Organs / Peptides / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - immunology / Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - immunology / Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - pathogenicity / Toxicity / Transcription / Transcriptome / Transcriptome - genetics / Viral infections / γ-Interferon