Selective long-term elimination of natural killer cells in vivo by an anti-interleukin 2 receptor beta chain monoclonal antibody in mice.
The interleukin 2 receptor beta chain (IL-2R beta) is preferentially expressed in natural killer (NK) cells, but is not detected in a majority of resting T and B cells. We recently established a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) to murine IL-2R beta and examined in vivo the effect of the mAb in mice. We found that intraperitoneal injection of the anti-IL-2R beta mAb into adult mice resulted in a selective in vivo elimination of splenic NK function in various mouse strains. The reduction of NK cell function is associated with complete disappearance of NK1.1+ cells in C57BL/6 mice. Other lymphocyte subsets in the thymus and spleen were uncompromised. T cell function was not affected by the mAb treatment as judged by allogeneic cytotoxic T cell induction. The single injection of anti-IL-2R beta mAb caused a long-term elimination of splenic NK cells, lasting for at least 5 wk. We also found that NK and/or NK precursor cells become susceptible to the mAb treatment only after birth, suggesting that functional maturation of NK cells in terms of IL-2R beta expression is a later event in the course of NK cell development. The use of the anti-IL-2R beta mAb will be useful in defining the physiological role of NK cells in host defense as well as dissecting their developmental pathway in vivo.
Tanaka
T
T
Department of Immunology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan.
Kitamura
F
F
Nagasaka
Y
Y
Kuida
K
K
Suwa
H
H
Miyasaka
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2