title: Measurement of Lytic Granule Convergence After Formation of an NK Cell Immunological Synapse.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells contain specialized lysosome-related organelles termed lytic granules allowing them to mediate cytotoxicity against tumorigenic or virally infected target cells. NK cells polarize their lytic granules toward a target cell via the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC). Prior to that, however, lytic granules converge to the MTOC along microtubules utilizing minus-end-directed microtubule motors. Herein we describe how to visualize and quantify lytic granule convergence using confocal microscopy to gain quantitative insight into NK cell cytotoxicity and its regulation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Immunobiology, Texas Children's Hospital, 1102 Bates Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.|Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Immunobiology, Texas Children's Hospital, 1102 Bates Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.|Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandre F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Carisey
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Immunobiology, Texas Children's Hospital, 1102 Bates Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. orange@bcm.edu.|Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. orange@bcm.edu.|, Houston, USA. orange@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Jordan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Orange
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D054992:Immunological Synapses / Q000276:immunology*; D020014:K562 Cells; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D022101:Microtubule-Organizing Center / Q000276:immunology*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000276:immunology*; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Confocal microscopy; Convergence; Immunological synapse; Lytic granules; MTOC; Mathematical algorithm