title: Cytokine-induced killer cells hunt individual cancer cells in droves in a mouse model.
abstract: Cytotoxicity of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells depends mainly on their encounters with target cells, but how many CIK cells are required to kill an individual cancer cell is unknown. Here we used time-lapse imaging to quantify the critical effector cell number required to kill an individual target cell. CIK cells killed MHC-I-negative and MHC-I-positive cancer cells, but natural killer (NK) cells destroyed MHC-I-negative cells only. The average threshold number of CIK cells required to kill an individual cancer cell was 6.7 for MHC-I-negative cells and 6.9 for MHC-I-positive cells. That of NK cells was 2.4 for MHC-I-negative cells. Likely due to the higher threshold numbers, killing by CIK cells was delayed in comparison with NK cells: 40% of MHC-negative target cells were killed after 5 h when co-cultured with CIK cells and after 2 h with NK cells. Our data have implications for the rational design of CIK cell-based immunotherapy of cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Guk
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hong Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Jae
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Boyeong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28116, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Soon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Heesoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youngsoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyung-1, Heungdeok, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28160, Republic of Korea. shan@chungbuk.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sang-Bae
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055612:Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
keywords: Cytotoxicity; Natural killer cells; Threshold number; Time-lapse imaging