The differential effect of stress on natural killer T (NKT) and NK cell function

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology 2000-08, Vol.121 (2), p.384-390
• Main Authors: Oya, H., Kawamura, T., Shimizu, T., Bannai, M., Kawamura, H., Minagawa, M., Watanabe, H., Hatakeyama, K., Abo, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Apoptosis; Autoimmunity; Biological and medical sciences; cytotoxicity; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic - drug effects; Epinephrine - pharmacology; Fas Ligand Protein; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hydrocortisone - pharmacology; Immobilization - adverse effects; Immunobiology; Killer Cells, Natural - immunology; liver; Liver - pathology; Lymphocyte Subsets - drug effects; Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Lymphocyte Subsets - pathology; Lymphopenia - etiology; Membrane Glycoproteins - deficiency; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Mutant Strains; Miscellaneous; NK Cells; NKT cells; Organ Specificity; Perforin; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; Regulatory factors and their cellular receptors; restraint stress; Space life sciences; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Spleen - pathology; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - immunology; Stress, Psychological - pathology; Thymus Gland - pathology
• ISSN: 0009-9104; 1365-2249
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2249.2000.01310.x

When C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to restraint stress for 12 h or 24 h, lymphocytopenia was induced in the liver, spleen, and thymus. We examined which types of lymphocytes were sensitive or resistant to such stress by a immunofluorescence test. T cells of thymic origin were sensitive while NKT and NK cells were resistant. In contrast to the increase in the proportion of NK cells, NK activity of liver lymphocytes against YAC‐1 targets decreased at 24 h after stress. On the other hand, their NKT cytotoxicity against syngeneic thymocytes increased in parallel with an increase in their proportion. In perforin −/– B6 mice and B6‐gld/gld (Fas ligand−) mice, NK cells were found to mediate cytotoxicity through perforin while NKT cells mediated self‐reactive cytotoxicity through Fas ligand. These results suggest that stress increases the proportion of both NK and NKT cells, but that NK cytotoxicity is suppressed while self‐reactive NKT cytotoxicity is not, due to a diversity of their functional mechanisms.