Molecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells.
Using whole-genome microarray data sets of the Immunological Genome Project, we demonstrate a closer transcriptional relationship between NK cells and T cells than between any other leukocytes, distinguished by their shared expression of genes encoding molecules with similar signaling functions. Whereas resting NK cells are known to share expression of a few genes with cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, our transcriptome-wide analysis demonstrates that the commonalities extend to hundreds of genes, many encoding molecules with unknown functions. Resting NK cells demonstrate a 'preprimed' state compared with naive T cells, which allows NK cells to respond more rapidly to viral infection. Collectively, our data provide a global context for known and previously unknown molecular aspects of NK cell identity and function by delineating the genome-wide repertoire of gene expression of NK cells in various states.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Cancer Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Natalie A
NA
Bezman
Charles C
CC
Kim
Joseph C
JC
Sun
Gundula
G
Min-Oo
Deborah W
DW
Hendricks
Yosuke
Y
Kamimura
J Adam
JA
Best
Ananda W
AW
Goldrath
Lewis L
LL
Lanier
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic