title: Acute exercise preferentially redeploys NK-cells with a highly-differentiated phenotype and augments cytotoxicity against lymphoma and multiple myeloma target cells.
abstract: NK-cells undergo a "licensing" process as they develop into fully-functional cells capable of efficiently killing targets. NK-cell differentiation is accompanied by an increased surface expression of inhibitory killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) molecules, which is positively associated with cytotoxicity against the HLA-deficient K562 cell line. NK-cells are rapidly redeployed between the blood and tissues in response to acute exercise, but it is not known if exercise evokes a preferential trafficking of differentiated NK-cells or impacts NK-cell cytotoxic activity (NKCA) against HLA-expressing target cells. Sixteen healthy cyclists performed three 30-min bouts of cycling exercise at -5%, +5%, and +15% of lactate threshold. Blood samples obtained before, immediately after, and 1h after exercise were used to enumerate NK-cells and their subsets, and determine NKCA and degranulating subsets (CD107+) against cell lines of multiple myeloma (U266 and RPMI-8226), lymphoma (721.221 and 221 AEH), and leukemia (K562) origin by 4 and 10-color flow cytometry, respectively. Exercise evoked a stepwise redeployment of NK-cell subsets in accordance with differentiation status [highly-differentiated (KIR+/NKG2A-) >medium-differentiated (KIR+/NKG2A+)>low-differentiated (KIR-/NKG2A+)] that was consistent across all exercise intensities. NKCA per cell increased ∼1.6-fold against U266 and 221 AEH targets 1h post-exercise and was associated with a decreased proportion of NK-cells expressing the inhibitory receptor CD158b and increased proportion of NK-cells expressing the activating receptor NKG2C, respectively. We conclude that exercise evokes a preferential redeployment of NK-cell subsets with a high differentiation phenotype and augments cytotoxicity against HLA-expressing target cells. Exercise may serve as a simple strategy to enrich the blood compartment of highly cytotoxic NK-cell subsets that can be harvested for clinical use.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Integrated Physiology, Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, 3855 Holman Street, Houston, TX 77204, USA. Electronic address: abbigley@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Austin B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Bigley
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Katayoun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rezvani
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Integrated Physiology, Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, 3855 Holman Street, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pistillo
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Crucian
authors.affiliation: Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bollard
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Integrated Physiology, Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, 3855 Holman Street, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020014:K562 Cells; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype
keywords: 221 AEH; 721.221; Acute stress; CD158; CD57; Exercise immunology; K562; KLRG1; NKG2A; NKG2C; RPMI-8226; U266