title: Activated CD8 T cells acquire NK1.1 expression and preferentially locate in the liver in mice after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.
abstract: Immune cells expressing both NK and T cell markers include CD1d-dependent NKT cells and CD1d-independent NKT-like cells. We now describe the presence of NK1.1(+)CD8(+) T cells in the liver, but not other tissues (spleen, bone marrow, thymus or peripheral blood) in mice receiving allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). These cells are CD1d-independent TCRαβ(+) T cells with an effector/memory CD44(hi)CD62L(-) phenotype, and do not express Ly49 receptors. Furthermore, these cells were derived from donor splenocytes, but not bone marrow cells. Depletion of CD8(+), but not NK1.1(+), cells from donor splenocytes prior to transplantation prevented the generation of NK1.1(+)CD8(+) T cells, indicating that these cells arose from donor NK1.1(-)CD8(+) splenic T cells. These results provide direct evidence that donor CD8(+) T cells can acquire NK1.1 expression upon activation in allo-HCT recipients and that these NK1.1(+)CD8(+) NKT-like cells maintain an effector/memory phenotype and persist in the recipients with preferential localization in the liver.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Engineering of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou 325035, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jinxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Guanjun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaokun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000378:metabolism*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B / Q000378:metabolism*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; C527211:Klrb1c protein, mouse; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B