title: Participation of leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 and NK cells in the homing of thymic CD8+NKT cells to the liver.
abstract: A distinct CD8+NKT cell population expressing TCRalpha/beta or TCRgamma/delta has been identified in liver and thymus. We wondered whether cell adhesion molecules play a role in the homing of CD8+NKT cells to the liver. The number of liver CD8+NKT cells was markedly reduced in leukocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1-/- mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. The reduction was restricted to the liver only and no measurable alterations were found in other organs. In the liver of SCID mice reconstituted with thymocytes from LFA-1-/- or WT mice, the number of donor-derived CD8+NKT cells was comparable and the vast majority of these cells expressed TCRalpha/beta. In a reciprocal radiation thymocyte reconstitution system with LFA-1-/- and WT mice, LFA-1 expressed on liver cells other than CD8+NKT cells appeared to be required for the homing of thymic CD8+NKT cells to the liver. The accumulation of donor thymocyte-derived CD8+NKT cells in the liver of SCID mice was severely impaired by in vivo depletion of NK cells, but not of Kupffer cells. These results not only indicate that thymus provides a source for CD8+NKT cells expressing TCRalpha/beta in the liver, but also suggest that LFA-1 expressed on NK cells is involved in the homing of thymic CD8+NKT cells to the liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Namba
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmits
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Rooijen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000276:immunology; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016513:Mice, SCID; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; C018835:asialo GM1 ganglioside