title: Interleukin-21 differentially affects human natural killer cell subsets.
abstract: Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is a cytokine with pleiotropic effects on various cell types including dendritic cells, B cells, T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. To evaluate if IL-21 affects human NK cell subpopulations in a similar fashion, functional studies were performed on CD56(dim) and CD56(bright) NK cells, both bearing IL-21 receptors at identical densities. Stimulation with IL-21 strongly induced proliferation of CD56(bright) NK cells and cytotoxicity against K562 target cells was preferentially augmented in CD56(dim) NK cells. In contrast, stimulation with IL-2 and IL-21 alone or in combination failed to induce interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha production in the two NK cell subsets. Intracellular analysis of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins revealed that IL-21 by itself induces phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3 in CD56(dim) NK cells, and to an even higher degree in CD56(bright) NK cells. In this CD56(bright) NK cell population alone, IL-2 weakly phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT3, which was further increased when cells were treated with the combination of both cytokines. In contrast, STAT5 was strongly phosphorylated only in CD56(bright) NK cells by low-dose IL-2, while IL-21 did not affect STAT5 at all. In summary, we present data indicating that the NK-cell-directed cytokines IL-2 and IL-21 not only affect functions in NK cell subpopulations differently but can also act additively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Katy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wilk
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buyny
authors.forename: Reinhold Ernst
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000378:metabolism; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21 / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D000098546:Interleukin-21; D000099192:CD69 Antigens
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D007378:Interleukins; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000098546:Interleukin-21; D000099192:CD69 Antigens; C494086:STAT3 protein, human