Journal of Leukocyte Biology Myeloid cells, immune suppression, tumor immunology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Originally published online as doi:10.1189/jlb.0707472 on September 28, 2007

Published online before print September 28, 2007
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
jlb.0707472v1
83/1/41    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, H.
Right arrow Articles by Meadows, G. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, H.
Right arrow Articles by Meadows, G. G.
(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2008;83:41-47.)
© 2008 by Society for Leukocyte Biology

Chronic alcohol consumption perturbs the balance between thymus-derived and bone marrow-derived natural killer cells in the spleen

Hui Zhang and Gary G. Meadows1

Cancer Prevention & Research Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

1 Correspondence: Cancer Prevention & Research Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Washington State University, Box 646713, 110 McCoy Office Trailer, Pullman, WA 99164-6713, USA. E-mail: meadows{at}wsu.edu

ABSTRACT

Alcohol consumption reduces peripheral NK cell numbers and compromises NK cell cytolytic activity; however, the underlying mechanism is not understood completely. It was found recently that the peripheral NK cell pool consists largely of bone marrow (BM)-derived and thymus-derived cells, which are phenotypically and functionally different. The effects of alcohol consumption on these subpopulations have not been studied previously. Using a well-established alcohol-feeding model, we found that chronic alcohol consumption decreases the percentage and number of peripheral NK cells, especially those expressing a mature phenotype. Alcohol consumption did not alter NK cells in the thymus. NK cells in the BM were increased significantly; however, proliferation rate was not altered by alcohol consumption, which increased CD127+ and decreased Ly49D+ NK cells in the spleen but not in the BM. Chronic alcohol consumption increased IFN-{gamma}-producing NK cells and GATA-3 expression in splenic NK cells. Collectively, these results indicate that chronic alcohol consumption perturbs the balance between thymus-derived and BM-derived NK cells. The increased proportion of thymus-derived NK cells in the spleen likely results from impaired NK cell release from the BM.

Key Words: immune • phenotype • distribution






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the Society for Leukocyte Biology.