Anti-NKG2D Antibody [1D11] (A86459)

How the immune system attacks medulloblastoma (MB) tumors effectively is unclear, although natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in immune defense against tumor cells. Interactions between receptors on NK cells and ligands expressed by tumor cells are critical for tumor control by immunotherapy. In this study, we analyzed tumor samples from 54 MB patients for expression of major histocompatibility complex class I-related chains A (MICA) and UL16 binding protein (ULPB-2), which are ligands for the NK group 2 member D activatory receptor (NKG2D). The percentage of MICA and ULBP-2 positive cells was higher than 25% in 68% and 6% of MB patients, respectively. A moderate-high intensity of MICA cytoplasmic staining was observed in 46% MB patients and weak ULBP-2 staining was observed in 8% MB patients. No correlation between MICA/ULBP-2 expression and patient outcome was found. We observed that HTB-186, a MB cell line, was moderately resistant to NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro. Blocking MICA/ULBP-2 on HTB-186, and NKG2D receptor on NK cells increased resistance to NK cell lysis in vitro. However, HLA class I blocking on HTB-186 and overnight incubation with IL-15 stimulated NK cells efficiently killed tumor cells in vitro. We conclude that although NKG2D/MICA-ULBP-2 interactions have a role in NK cell cytotoxicity against MB, high expression of HLA class I can protect MB from NK cell cytotoxicity. Even so, our in vitro data indicate that if NK cells are appropriately stimulated, they may have the potential to target MB in vivo.

Natural killer (NK) lymphocytes use a variety of activating receptors to recognize and kill infected or tumorigenic cells during an innate immune response. To prevent targeting healthy tissue, NK cells also express numerous inhibitory receptors that signal through immunotyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs). Precisely how signals from competing activating and inhibitory receptors are integrated and resolved is not understood. To investigate how ITIM receptor signaling impinges on activating pathways, we developed a photochemical approach for stimulating the inhibitory receptor KIR2DL2 during ongoing NK cell-activating responses in high-resolution imaging experiments. Photostimulation of KIR2DL2 induces the rapid formation of inhibitory receptor microclusters in the plasma membrane and the simultaneous suppression of microclusters containing activating receptors. This is followed by the collapse of the peripheral actin cytoskeleton and retraction of the NK cell from the source of inhibitory stimulation. These results suggest a cell biological basis for ITIM receptor signaling and establish an experimental framework for analyzing it.