title: Notch activation enhances IFNgamma secretion by human peripheral blood and decidual NK cells.
abstract: NK cells specialize in killing tumor cells and virally infected cells and also possess non-cytotoxic functions, which include secretion of a variety of cytokines and growth factors. Their activity is mediated by a vast repertoire of inhibitory and activating NK receptors. Recently, it was demonstrated that ligation of the Notch receptor plays a significant role not only in T cell development but also in human T cell and mouse NK cell activation. However, the involvement of Notch triggering in human NK cell activity has not yet been determined. Here we show that Notch1 and Notch2, but not Notch3 and Notch 4, are expressed in human peripheral blood NK cells and in decidual NK cells. We demonstrate that in peripheral blood NK cells only the Notch ligand Delta4 could interact with Notch, whereas in decidual NK cells both Delta1 and Delta4 can interact with Notch. Finally, we show that Notch activation in these cells leads to increased secretion of IFNgamma. We therefore present here a new function of the Notch receptors as enhancers of peripheral blood NK cell and decidual NK cell functions.
authors.affiliation: The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, The BioMedical Research Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Manaster
authors.forename: Roi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gazit
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldman-Wohl
authors.forename: Noam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stern-Ginossar
authors.forename: Saar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizrahi
authors.forename: Simcha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yagel
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mandelboim
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D003656:Decidua / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D051881:Receptor, Notch1 / Q000276:immunology; D051883:Receptor, Notch2 / Q000276:immunology; D000071656:Receptor, Notch3; D000074562:Receptor, Notch4; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C424126:DLL4 protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C497761:NOTCH1 protein, human; C497764:NOTCH2 protein, human; C499374:NOTCH3 protein, human; C106075:NOTCH4 protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051881:Receptor, Notch1; D051883:Receptor, Notch2; D000071656:Receptor, Notch3; D000074562:Receptor, Notch4; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D007371:Interferon-gamma