title: Frequency and phenotype of natural killer cells and natural killer cell subsets in bovine lymphoid compartments and blood.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are widely distributed in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues, but little is known about the recirculation of NK cells between blood and tissues. This is relevant to understanding recirculation in the steady-state and also for determining the roles for NK cells in vaccine-induced immunity and responses to infection. Therefore, the percentage of NK cells and their phenotype across peripheral blood, afferent lymph and lymph nodes in steady-state conditions was investigated in cattle using the pseudo-afferent lymphatic cannulation model. CD2+CD25loNK cells were the predominant subset of NK cells within the blood. In contrast, CD2-CD25hiNK cells were the main subset present within the skin-draining afferent lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes, indicating that CD2-NK cells are the principal NK cell subset trafficking to lymph nodes via the afferent lymphatic vessel. Furthermore, a low percentage of NK cells were present in efferent lymph, which were predominantly of the CD2-subset, indicating that NK cells can egress from lymph nodes and return to circulation in steady-state conditions. These compartmentalization data indicate that NK cells represent a population of recirculating lymphocytes in steady-state conditions and therefore may be important during immune responses to vaccination or infection.
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Carly A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2487-6838
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Zoetis, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Suman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahan
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Addlestone, UK.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Villarreal-Ramos
authors.affiliation: The Pirbright Institute, Woking, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Charleston
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.|Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Entrican
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.
authors.forename: Jayne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hope
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002404:Catheterization; D002417:Cattle / Q000276:immunology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D018801:CD2 Antigens; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit
keywords: natural killer cells; recirculation