title: Maturation of murine natural killer precursor cells in the absence of exogenous cytokines requires contact with bone marrow stroma.
abstract: To test whether differentiation of natural killer (NK) precursor cells in unsupplemented long-term bone marrow culture requires contact with stromal cells, bone marrow cells (BMC) that were depleted of NK 1.1+ and Thy-1+ cells were cultured either directly on established, irradiated bone marrow stroma or in cell culture inserts separated from the stroma by a 0.45-micron microporous membrane. No exogenous cytokines were added. Depleted BMC produced NK 1.1+ nonlytic cells by day 7 and lytic NK 1.1+ cells by day 14 only when grown directly on the stroma. NK precursor cells survived in the inserts, however, and could respond to recombinant interleukin-2 in secondary culture. Thus, stromal cell-dependent proliferation and differentiation of lytic NK 1.1+ cells from their nonlytic NK 1.1- precursors requires direct interaction between stromal cells and NK precursors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Pollack
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000276:immunology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010641:Phenotype; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines