Identification of a subset of murine natural killer cells that mediates rejection of Hh-1d but not Hh-1b bone marrow grafts.

Abstract

NK cells demonstrate many immune functions both in vitro and in vivo, including the lysis of tumor or virus-infected cells and the rejection of bone marrow allografts. However it remains unclear whether or not all NK cells can mediate these various functions or if NK cells exist in functionally distinct subsets. We have developed a new NK-specific mAb, SW5E6, which binds to approximately 50% of murine NK cells. The 5E6 antigen identifies a distinct and stable subset of NK cells and is expressed on about one-half of fresh or rIL-2-activated murine NK cells. Both 5E6+ and 5E6- NK cells are capable of lysing YAC-1 tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. By treating animals with SW5E6, we demonstrate that the 5E6+ subset is necessary for the rejection of H-2d/Hh-1d but not H-2b/Hh-1b bone marrow cells. Thus NK cells exist as functionally separable subsets in vivo.

In vivo tumor cell rejection induced by NK cell inhibitory receptor blockade: Maintained tolerance to normal cells even in the presence of IL‐2

“…To block inhibitory Ly49C/I receptors we utilized the mAb 5E6 [31]. F(ab') 2 fragments were chosen in order to prevent depletion of NK cells as well as cross-linking of Ly49C/I receptors.…”

“…5E6 mAb was produced from hybridoma cells [31], purified on protein A, dialyzed against PBS and digested with pepsin. F(ab') 2 fragments were then purified by cation-exchange on a Mono S column (Amersham Bioscience).…”

Cloning and characterization of 5E6 (Ly-49C), a receptor molecule expressed on a subset of murine natural killer cells.

“…The mAb SW5E6 has previously been shown to detect an apparent disulfide linked homodimer with "~54-kD subunits on the surface of C57BL/6 and NZB NK cells (26). In this study, initial immunoprecipitations using anti-5E6 antibody revealed that on BALB/c NK cells 5E6 is present as a homodimer with '~,65 kD subunits, while on transiently transfected COS-7 cells, 5E6 appears as a homodimer with '-54 kD subunits, as was seen in previous studies with C57BL/6 NK cells (Fig.…”

Natural Killer Cell Mediated Defence Directed Selectively Against Target Cells Lacking MHC Class I Gene Products

“…Additional cell surface markers, some of which define subsets of NK cells, have recently been described [10]. NK cells are of bone marrow origin [6], but their exact lineage is uncertain.…”