Tracking effector and memory NK cells during MCMV infection

Abstract

In C57BL/6 mice, NK cells expressing the activating receptor Ly49H proliferate robustly in response to mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. The expansion of Ly49H+ NK cells peaks at approximately 1 week post- infection, and is then followed by a distinct contraction phase that ultimately leaves a small but long-lived pool of MCMV-experienced Ly49H+ NK cells that are capable of mediating enhanced memorylike responses during subsequent encounters with MCMV. Here we describe an adoptive transfer model in which the expansion, contraction, and memory cell persistence of transferred Ly49H+ NK cells are tracked in congenic C57BL/6 hosts following MCMV infection.