Autologous T-Cell-Free Antigen Presentation System Unveils hCMV-Specific NK Cell Response
The scientists from the IBCh RAS proposed the autologous system of the hCMV-derived VMAPRTLFL (LFL) peptide stimulation without T lymphocytes and exogenous cytokines which allows to evaluate NK cell hCMV-specific responses. NK cells of individuals having high anti-hCMV-IgG levels, in contrast to NK cells of hCMV-seronegative and low-positive donors, displayed increased IFNγ production, degranulation and activation levels, and enhanced proliferation upon stimulation with the LFL peptide, presented in HLA-E. LFL-induced NK cell IFNγ production was dependent on PI3K and Ras/Raf/Mek signaling pathways. Transcriptomic profile of LFL-expanded NK cells showed increased adaptive gene expression and metabolic activation. This model may be further exploited for the identification of antigen-specific NK cells. The results are published in the Cells.
april 1, 2024