Work

Phenotypic and functional characterization of lymphocytes that bind human microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. Evidence for preferential binding of natural killer cells.

Year: 1987

Type: article

Abstract: The microvascular endothelium has been postulated to be a critical target in the rejection of vascularized allografts. This study was undertaken to examine the ability of human sheep erythrocyte rosette forming lymphocytes (E-RFC) to form stable conjugates with microvascular endothelial cells (EC), and to assess whether a receptor-ligand interaction mediates this event. Human foreskin microvascular EC monolayers were used as targets of chromium-51-labeled E-RFC in a quantitative adherence assay. Binding was saturable, displaceable by unlabeled E-RFC, augmented by recombinant interleukin 1 (rIL-1) and inhibited by anti-LFA1 antibody. The Leu-11+ lymphocyte subset, known to be enriched for natural killer (NK) cells, bound preferentially. Only the EC-adherent lymphocyte fraction contained NK effectors, which lysed EC and classical NK targets. Thus, NK cells adhere to microvascular EC via a specific receptor-ligand interaction. The possibility exists that such binding occurs in recipients of vascularized allografts, representing the initial stage of graft rejection.

Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation

DOI: 10.1172/jci113007

Authors: J R Bender, R Pardi, M A Karasek, E G Engleman

Institutions: Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

Language: English

Topic: Immune Cell Function and Interaction

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute