29 June 2020 : Animal Research
Kupffer Cells Regulate Natural Killer Cells Via the NK group 2, Member D (NKG2D)/Retinoic Acid Early Inducible-1 (RAE-1) Interaction and Cytokines in a Primary Biliary Cholangitis Mouse Model
Hai-Yan Fu1EF, Wei-Min Bao2C, Cai-Xia Yang1D, Wei-Ju Lai1D, Jia-Min Xu1B, Hai-Yan Yu1B, Yi-Na Yang1B, Xu Tan1B, Ajay Kumar Gupta1F, Ying-Mei Tang1AG*DOI: 10.12659/MSM.923726
Med Sci Monit 2020; 26:e923726
Figure 5 Model of the crosstalk between Kupffer cells and NK cells in PBC mice. 1) RAE-l expressed on Kupffer cells directly activates NK cells by its interaction with NKG2D. 2) Kupffer cell-derived IL-12 and TNF-α help to indirectly stimulate the production of IFN-γ by NK cells. 3) NK cell-derived IFN-γ stimulates the increased production of IL-12 and TNF-α by Kupffer cells. 4) Kupffer cell-derived IL-12 and TNF-α and NK cell-derived IFN-γ synergistically induce biliary epithelial cell damage. NK – natural killer; PBC – primary biliary cholangitis; RAE-1 – retinoic acid early inducible-1 – NKG2D, natural killer group 2, member D; IL – interleukin; TNF – tumor necrosis factor; IFN-γ – interferon-γ.