Journal List > Korean J Hematol > v.41(1) > 1032704

Cho, Shin, Park, Kang, Kim, Pham, Zhu, Shin, Suh, Ryang, Nam, Kim, and Lee: Selective Expansion of Natural Killer Cells from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells by K562 Cell Line and IL-2

Abstract

Background:

Several attempts have been made to expand human NK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This study examined the selective expansion of NK cells using interleukin 2 (IL-2) plus the K562 cell line, the expression of the NK cell receptors, and the cytotoxic activity.

Methods:

The PBMCs from seven healthy volunteers were cultured in a medium containing the IL-2 plus the K562 cell line for 14 days. The expression of the activating and inhibitory receptors on the resting NK cells and the 72 hr-expanded NK cells were analyzed. A flow cytometric cytotoxic assay was used to determined the killing activity of the non-expanded NK cells and the 7 day-expanded NK cells against the K562 target cells.

Results:

The NK cells from PBMCs expanded 4.5-fold after 7 days, and contained 56.5% CD3-CD56+ cells. The IL-2 or IL-2 plus K562 increased the expression levels of CD158b (MFI, mean florescence intensity), CD158e1/e2 (MFI), and NKp44 (MFI), while it decreased the expression levels of NKp30 (%), CD16 (MFI), and 2B4 (MFI). The non-expanded NK cells lysed 9.0% and 27.6% of the K562 target cells in the 1:1 and 5:1 effector and target ratio, respectively, and the 7-day expanded NK cells lysed 36.9% and 57.2% of the K562 target cells, respectively.

Conclusion:

The selective expansion of CD3-CD56+ NK cells occurred only during 7 days of culture. IL-2 or IL-2 plus the K562 cells altered the expression of various activating and inhibitory receptors of NK cells, and the cytotoxicity of the expanded NK cells was higher than in the non-expanded cells.

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Fig. 1
The change of CD158b expression on gated CD3- CD56+ NK cells in response to IL-2 alone and IL-2 plus K562 cell line. Representative data using PE-labeled CD 158b was shown. The increased expression was observed for CD 158b receptors, indicating that IL-2 alone (B) and IL2+K562 (C) induce up-regulation of CD158b compared to uncultured cells (A).
kjh-41-8f1.tif
Fig. 2
Flow cytometric measurement of NK cytotoxicity using staining with FITC-congugated anti-CD45 and side scatter profiles to identify different cell populations and uptake of propidium iodide (PI) to detect cell death. Target cells and effectors (1:5) incubated for 4 hrs, are identified by region 1 (R1) and region 2 (R2) repectively. Percentages of dead cells in different regions are calculated from histograms showing PI uptake as measured by the intensity of fluorescence.
kjh-41-8f2.tif
Table 1.
Median cell count, percentage of CD3-CD56+ cells, and fold expansion rate from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of seven donors. The cells were cultured in IL-2 (500U/mL) and irradiated K562 cell line as a feeder cell
Day 0 3rd 7th 10th 13th
Cell count (×107/μL)(range) 2.0 (1.3~2.6) 2.3 (0.5~3.9) 3.0 (1.8~6.0) 1.9 (0.5~4.8) 1.9 (0.6~3.6)
CD3-CD56+cell% (range) 16.9 (13.1~30.6) 21.2 (15.3~29.1) 56.5 (38.7~66.4) 17.1 (1.2~22.0) 8.8 (3.0~20.0)
Expansion rate (range) 0.0 1.2 (0.6~3.0) 4.5 (2.5~10.0) 0.6 (0.1~1.7) 0.4 (0.2~1.5)
Table 2.
The change of activating and inhibitory natural killer cell receptors when lymphocytes are treated with IL-2 alone or IL-2 with irradiated K562 cell line as feeder cell
  Day 0 Day 3rd IL-2 alone Day 3rd IL-2+k562 P value (<0.05)
  %a) MFIb) %c) MFId) %e) MFIf)
CD158a 26.1±17.5 53.5±26.2 27.7±17.0 77.4±33.9 28.5±18.1 80.4±31.0
CD158b 51.1±23.1 91.3±17.5 49.6±15.3 153.7±48.5 47.1±17.4 133.5±47.7 b/d, b/f
CD158e1/e2 16.1±9.3 65.2±41.9 16.3±9.6 127.0±73.4 17.3±9.5 128.2±66.0 b/d, b/f
CD85j 38.7±15.5 21.2±11.2 45.8±21.5 21.3±7.2 44.3±17.6 22.1±9.4
CD94 69.6±5.9 24.0±4.6 68.0±12.8 21.6±5.52 67.5±14.3 23.4±5.7
NKG2A 35.0±18.5 60.5±8.4 33.1±20.1 57.3±27.3 35.2±21.2 62.4±30.6
NKG2D 89.7±8.9 21.4±9.3 88.7±14.0 21.8±4.8 75.9±19.9 24.8±16.3
NKp30 25.7±15.5 12.7±2.1 9.2±7.8 12.6±2.5 10.1±7.4 12.9±4.8 a/c, a/e
NKp46 49.0±21.7 26.5±13.1 73.9±20.0 34.9±21.7 70.3±22.2 34.8±23.7 a/c
NKp44 2.5±2.2 8.2±2.4 1.9±1.4 13.4±4.5 3.1±3.3 9.5±4.6 b/d
CD16 96.4±2.7 443.3±185.0 96.7±4.1 256.4±168.2 92.3±9.5 233.1±146.6 b/d, b/f
2B4 98.6±1.5 48.1±8.2 96.6±4.8 35.3±5.1 91.3±18.3 38.9±8.2 b/d, b/f
Abbreviation: : MFI, mean fluo orescence intensity.          
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