Disparate effect of beige mutation on cytotoxic function between natural killer and natural killer T cells.
Beige mice lack natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity, although NK cells are normally present. In recent studies, NK T cells have been newly identified. We therefore examined the number and function of NK T cells in beige mice. The number of NK T cells was at a normal level in the liver of beige mice. NK cytotoxicity was decreased in the liver of these mice, whereas NK T cytotoxicity was intact. When immunochemical staining for perforin was conducted, the majority of NK cells and the minority of NK T cells in beige mice carried a giant granule, containing perforin, in the cytoplasm. In the case of control B6 mice, the majority of NK cells and the minority of NK T cells had multiple, dispersed granules containing perforin. These results suggest that NK T cytotoxicity is unaffected by the beige mutation, owing to their cytotoxicity being mediated without the secretion system of perforin.
Bannai
M
M
Department of Immunology and First Department of Surgery, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan.
Oya
H
H
Kawamura
T
T
Naito
T
T
Shimizu
T
T
Kawamura
H
H
Miyaji
C
C
Watanabe
H
H
Hatakeyama
K
K
Abo
T
T
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009154:Mutation; D054353:Perforin; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D054353:Perforin