Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Dec;94(52):e2369.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000002369.

Phenotype of NK Cells Determined on the Basis of Selected Immunological Parameters in Children Treated due to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Sylwia Koltan  1 , Robert Debski, Andrzej Koltan, Elzbieta Grzesk, Barbara Tejza, Andrzej Eljaszewicz, Lidia Gackowska, Malgorzata Kubicka, Beata Kolodziej, Beata Kurylo-Rafinska, Izabela Kubiszewska, Malgorzata Wiese, Milena Januszewska, Jacek Michalkiewicz, Mariusz Wysocki, Jan Styczynski, Grzegorz Grzesk
Affiliations

Phenotype of NK Cells Determined on the Basis of Selected Immunological Parameters in Children Treated due to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Sylwia Koltan et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent pediatric malignancy. The chemotherapy for ALL is associated with a profound secondary immune deficiency.We evaluated the number and phenotype of natural killer (NK) cells at diagnosis, after the intensive chemotherapy and following the completion of the entire treatment for patients with ALL. The fraction, absolute number, and percentage of NK cells expressing interferon-γ were determined in full blood samples. The fraction of NK cells expressing CD158a, CD158b, perforin, A, B, and K granzymes was examined in isolated NK cells.We have shown that patients assessed at ALL diagnosis showed significantly lower values of the fraction of NK cells and percentage of NK cells with the granzyme A expression. Additionally, the absolute number of NK cells, the expression of CD158a, CD158b, perforin, and granzyme A were significantly lower in patients who completed intensive chemotherapy. Also, there was a significantly higher fraction of NK cells expressing granzyme K in patients who completed the therapy.Abnormalities of NK cells were found at all stages of the treatment; however, the most pronounced changes were found at the end of intensive chemotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia IC-BFM 2002 treatment protocol.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Quality of NK cells purification process. Purity isolation was evaluated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies CD16 + CD56-PE and CD3-FITC. NK cells are in a pool of cells expressing the CD16 + CD56 and the absence of expression of CD3. NK = natural killer.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Percentage and absolute count of NK cells in the studied groups and in the controls. At start of treatment n = 21 patients, at the end of ICHT n = 22 patients, at the end of treatment n = 23 patients, controls n = 43 patients. ICHT = intensive chemotherapy, NK = natural killer.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Expression of intracellular INFγ in NK of the studied groups and the controls. At start of treatment n = 21 patients, at the end of ICHT n = 22 patients, at the end of treatment n = 23 patients, controls n = 43 patients. ICHT = intensive chemotherapy, INFγ = interferon-γ, NK = natural killer.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Expression of CD158a/CD16+ (A) and CD158b/CD16+ (B) on the surface of NKs in studied groups and the controls. At start of treatment n = 21 patients, at the end of ICHT n = 22 patients, at the end of treatment n = 23 patients, controls n = 43 patients. ICHT = intensive chemotherapy, NK = natural killer.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Expression of perforin (A), granzyme A (B), granzyme B (C), and granzyme K (D) in NKs in studied groups and the controls. At start of treatment n = 21 patients, at the end of ICHT n = 22 patients, at the end of treatment n = 23 patients, controls n = 43 patients. ICHT = intensive chemotherapy, NK = natural killer.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Distribution of age in studied groups and in the controls.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kaatsch P. Epidemiology of childhood cancer. Cancer Treat Rev 2010; 36:277–285. - PubMed
    1. Kowalczyk JR, Dudkiewicz E, Balwierz W, et al. Incidence of childhood cancers in Poland in 1995–1999. Med Sci Monit 2002; 8:587–590. - PubMed
    1. Möricke A, Zimmermann M, Reiter A, et al. Long-term results of five consecutive trials in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia performed by the ALL-BFM study group from 1981 to 2000. Leukemia 2010; 24:265–284. - PubMed
    1. Jatczak-Gaca A, Styczynski J, Koltan A, et al. Results of therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in over 50 years of experience in a single center in Poland. Leuk Lymphoma 2015; 56:2212–2214. - PubMed
    1. Schultz KR, Pullen DJ, Sather HN, et al. Risk- and response-based classification of childhood B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a combined analysis of prognostic markers from the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) and Children's Cancer Group (CCG). Blood 2007; 109:926–935. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms