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. 2016 Oct 27;17(11):1797.
doi: 10.3390/ijms17111797.

The Activating NKG2C Receptor Is Significantly Reduced in NK Cells after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Severe Graft-versus-Host Disease

Lambros Kordelas  1 , Nina-Kristin Steckel  2 , Peter A Horn  3 , Dietrich W Beelen  4 , Vera Rebmann  5
Affiliations

The Activating NKG2C Receptor Is Significantly Reduced in NK Cells after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Severe Graft-versus-Host Disease

Lambros Kordelas et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells play a central role in the innate immune system. In allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), alloreactive NK cells derived by the graft are discussed to mediate the elimination of leukemic cells and dendritic cells in the patient and thereby to reduce the risk for leukemic relapses and graft-versus-host reactions. The alloreactivity of NK cells is determined by various receptors including the activating CD94/NKG2C and the inhibitory CD94/NKG2A receptors, which both recognize the non-classical human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E). Here we analyze the contribution of these receptors to NK cell alloreactivity in 26 patients over the course of the first year after alloSCT due to acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and T cell Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma. Our results show that NK cells expressing the activating CD94/NKG2C receptor are significantly reduced in patients after alloSCT with severe acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Moreover, the ratio of CD94/NKG2C to CD94/NKG2A was reduced in patients with severe acute and chronic GvHD after receiving an HLA-mismatched graft. Collectively, these results provide evidence for the first time that CD94/NKG2C is involved in GvHD prevention.

Keywords: NK cells; NKG2C receptor; allogeneic stem cell transplantation; graft-versus-host disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The proportions of NK cells expressing CD94/NKG2C during the course of the first year after alloSCT in relation to the occurrence of severe acute and chronic GvHD in patients receiving an HLA-matched or HLA-mismatched graft. Two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The proportions of NK cells expressing CD94/NKG2A during the course of the first year after alloSCT in relation to the occurrence of severe acute and chronic GvHD in patients receiving an HLA-matched or HLA-mismatched graft. Two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The ratio of NK cells expressing CD94/NKG2C to NK cells expressing CD94/NKGA during the course of the first year after alloSCT in relation to the occurrence of severe acute and chronic GvHD in patients receiving an HLA-matched or HLA-mismatched graft. Two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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