title: Morphologic, phenotypic, and cytotoxic analyses of C57BL/6 murine non-parenchymal liver cells: new evidence associating murine liver large granular lymphocytes with monocyte precursors and implications for tumor immunotherapy.
abstract: Non-parenchymal liver cells (NPCs) have been implicated in murine host resistance to hepatic metastases. We have examined the relative cell number, morphology, phenotype, and cytotoxic potential of Percoll fractionated C57BL/6 murine liver NPCs. Low density (Percoll fractions 2 and 3) cells showed a large granular lymphocyte morphology and made up 76% of all NPCs recoverable, while high density (fractions 5 and 6) showed a small lymphocyte morphology and made up 10% of all NPCs. Low density cells demonstrated the following phenotype: 14% of the cells demonstrated the Thy 1.2 marker; 12%, the Lyt-2 marker; 67%, the L3T4 marker; 74%, the asialo GM1 marker; 30%, the 49H.8 marker; and 65%, the F4/80 marker. The high density cells expressed the same markers on 71%, 21%, 33%, 68%, 37%, and 19% of their cell surface, respectively. There were no differences phenotypically between high density NPCs and splenocytes except for the F4/80 expression (fractions 5 and 6 NPCs, F4/80 expression 19%, fresh splenocytes 60%). Dual color analysis of L3T4+ NPCs documented that fractions 2 and 3 cells also expressed the F4/80 marker on 85% of their cell surface and the Thy 1.2 marker on 11% of their cell surface. The high density fractions 5 and 6 L3T4+ cells expressed the F4/80 marker on 16% of their cell surface, and the Thy 1.2 marker on 89% of their cell surface. Cytotoxicity against YAC-1 [a natural killer (NK) sensitive target], MCA-102 (a NK resistant target), and WEHI-164 (a natural cytotoxicity target) were similar for fractions 2 and 3, and 5 and 6 cells. Based upon the expression of the F4/80 marker on L3T4+ cells that are Thy 1.2 negative and appear to be similar to LGLs morphologically (fractions 2 and 3 NPCs), we propose that these cells are monocyte precursors while fractions 5 and 6 cells are small lymphocytes. These findings with liver LGLs support the need for the evaluation of monocyte directed biological response modifiers in therapeutic models of murine hepatic metastases.
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, School of Medicine, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Anton
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Borkenhagen
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lafreniere
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015415:Biomarkers