title: Natural killer cells and T cells induce different types of skin reactions during recall responses to haptens.
abstract: The role of T cells in contact hypersensitivity (CHS) to haptens has been well described. However, recent reports demonstrated that CHS-like reactions to experimental haptens could be induced in mice deficient in T cells and B cells, as a result of adaptive-like features of NK cells. Here, we compared hapten-specific inflammatory reactions induced by memory T cells or NK cells. Classical CHS protocols were applied to WT or T- and B-cell deficient mice. Adoptive transfers of hapten-specific T cells and NK cells were also performed. Liver NK cells from hapten-primed mice induced specific recall responses to haptens upon transfer in CD3ε-deficient mice, thus confirming the existence of "memory" NK cells in the liver. We investigated the nature of the inflammation generated in these transfer conditions and found that hapten-induced skin inflammation mediated by CD8(+)  T cells or "memory" NK cells are different. Indeed, ear swelling induced by memory NK cells was transient and not associated with cellular infiltrate and inflammation markers, characteristic for T-cell-mediated responses. Thus, NK cells and T cells mediate distinct forms of skin inflammation. NK cell-mediated pathogenesis does not rely on cellular infiltrate and could be involved in atypical forms of adverse drug reactions.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, Lyon, France. paul.rouzaire@inserm.fr
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rouzaire
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luci
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blasco
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bienvenu
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walzer
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hennino
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006241:Haptens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D012313:RNA; D007371:Interferon-gamma