Natural killer cell-mediated contact sensitivity develops rapidly and depends on interferon-[alpha], interferon-[gamma] and interleukin-12

• Published in: Immunology 2013-09, Vol.140 (1), p.98
• Main Authors: Majewska-Szczepanik, Monika, Paust, Silke, Andrian, Ulrich H, Askenase, Philip W, Szczepanik, Marian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0019-2805; 1365-2567
• DOI: 10.1111/imm.12120

Summary Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated contact sensitivity was recently described in mice. Here, we confirm NK cell-mediated contact sensitivity (CS) in SCID and RAG1-/- mice but not in SCIDbeige mice, which have non-functional NK cells that lack NK cell granules. NK cell-mediated CS was transferred by liver mononuclear cells and the DX5+ fraction of liver cells, confirming that NK cells mediate CS in the absence of T and B cells. Participation of NKT cells and B-1 cells was ruled out using J[alpha]18-/- and JH-/- mice, respectively. Remarkably, NK cell-mediated CS was observed just 1 hr after immunization and was detectable as early as 30 min after challenge. Further, we examined cytokine requirements for NK cell-mediated CS, and found that liver mononuclear cells from interleukin-12-/-, interferon-[gamma]-/- and interferon-[alpha] receptor-/- donors fail to transfer NK cell-mediated CS to naive hosts. Our studies clearly show that dinitrofluorobenzene sensitized NK cells mediate very rapid, antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity, with features of both innate and acquired immune responses. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]