title: NK cell phenotypic modulation in lung cancer environment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nature killer (NK) cells play an important role in anti-tumor immunotherapy. But it indicated that tumor cells impacted possibly on NK cell normal functions through some molecules mechanisms in tumor microenvironment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study analyzed the change about NK cells surface markers (NK cells receptors) through immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and real-time PCR, the killed function from mouse spleen NK cell and human high/low lung cancer cell line by co-culture. Furthermore we certificated the above result on the lung cancer model of SCID mouse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We showed that the infiltration of NK cells in tumor periphery was related with lung cancer patients' prognosis. And the number of NK cell infiltrating in lung cancer tissue is closely related to the pathological types, size of the primary cancer, smoking history and prognosis of the patients with lung cancer. The expression of NK cells inhibitor receptors increased remarkably in tumor micro-environment, in opposite, the expression of NK cells activated receptors decrease magnificently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survival time of lung cancer patient was positively related to NK cell infiltration degree in lung cancer. Thus, the down-regulation of NKG2D, Ly49I and the up-regulation of NKG2A may indicate immune tolerance mechanism and facilitate metastasis in tumor environment. Our research will offer more theory for clinical strategy about tumor immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Micro-environment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China; Department of Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Micro-environment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China; Cancer Center, Research Institute of Surgery and Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jun-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Micro-environment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Micro-environment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fu-Dong
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Micro-environment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C527054:KLRC1 protein, human; C408248:Ly49I antigen; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; C423230:ULBP2 protein, human