title: Further characterization of PNK-E: a monoclonal antibody enhancing porcine natural killer cell activity.
abstract: Monoclonal antibody PNK-E binds to approximately 15% of porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) which are PT4 negative and PT8 positive. When cells from tissues of adult pigs are treated with PNK-E, enhancement of natural killer (NK) cell activity is observed from PBL and spleen cells, and a dramatic induction of NK activity is observed from bone marrow cells. With cells derived from tissues of neonatal piglets, PNK-E induces NK activity from PBL and bone marrow cells. To investigate the mechanism of PNK-E-mediated enhancement of NK, proliferation assays, calcium-pulse assays, single-cell assays, and kinetic analyses were performed. PNK-E did not induce proliferation of PBL. PNK-E could be added as late as 30 min prior to termination of Ca(2+)-pulse assays and still enhance NK activity. Using kinetic analysis PNK-E was found to increase the rate of NK lysis (Vmax) and rate of lytic programming per NK cell (k2). In addition, results from single-cell assays indicate that PNK-E activates a population of normally inactive effector cells. These results indicate that PNK-E enhances the lytic capacity of mature NK cells and induces a population of nonlytic cells to become highly cytolytic cells. Furthermore, the enhancing effects are immediate and do not require an induction period. Thus, PNK-E recognizes and activates a unique triggering molecule that is present on NK cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School, Illinois 60064.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Wierda
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal