Peptide-specific recognition of human cytomegalovirus strains controls adaptive natural killer cells

Peptide-specific recognition of human cytomegalovirus strains controls adaptive natural killer cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that lack antigen-specific rearranged receptors, a hallmark of adaptive lymphocytes. In some people infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), an NK cell subset expressing the activating receptor NKG2C undergoes clonal-like expansion that partially r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hammer, Q, Rückert, T, Borst, EM, Dunst, J, Haubner, A, Durek, P, Heinrich, F, Gasparoni, G, Babic, M, Tomic, A, Pietra, G, Nienen, M, Blau, IW, Hofmann, J, Na, I-K, Prinz, I, Koenecke, C, Hemmati, P, Babel, N, Arnold, R, Walter, J, Thurley, K, Mashreghi, M-F, Messerle, M, Romagnani, C
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2018
Description
Summary:Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that lack antigen-specific rearranged receptors, a hallmark of adaptive lymphocytes. In some people infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), an NK cell subset expressing the activating receptor NKG2C undergoes clonal-like expansion that partially resembles anti-viral adaptive responses. However, the viral ligand that drives the activation and differentiation of adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells has remained unclear. Here we found that adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells differentially recognized distinct HCMV strains encoding variable UL40 peptides that, in combination with pro-inflammatory signals, controlled the population expansion and differentiation of adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells. Thus, we propose that polymorphic HCMV peptides contribute to shaping of the heterogeneity of adaptive NKG2C+ NK cell populations among HCMV-seropositive people.

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