The NKp30-expressing NK-cell number was lower in the presence of the viruses in each independent experiment (although not significant)

as well as after TLR7 stimulation whereas it was increased by IL-2/PHA stimulation (Fig. 1A). The expression of other activating (NKp44, NKp46, and NKG2D) and inhibitory (KIR2DL2/3) NK-cell receptors was not modified by contact with LASV or MOPV and no NK-cell proliferation was observed either (data not shown). CXCR3 is the receptor for CXC chemokines and is involved in chemotaxis. The presence of replicative or inactivated LASV and, Selleck AZD4547 to a lesser extent, MOPV, upregulated CXCR3 expression at the surface of NK cells whereas TLR7 stimulation induced a downregulation of CXCR3 (Fig. 1B). No difference in the CXCR3 mRNA level was observed between mock and infected

cultures (data not shown). Unlike PMA/ionomycin stimulation, LASV and MOPV did not induce IFN-γ gene expression by NK cells (Fig. 1C). The proportion of NK cells expressing the lytic molecule granzyme B (GrzB) was neither modified by LASV and MOPV nor by TLR stimulation, and the cytotoxic effects of NK cells on K562 targets (lacking MHC-I molecules) were also unaffected (Fig. 1D). Thus, LASV and MOPV can neither infect NK cells nor activate these cells, induce proliferation or modify their effector properties. However, the expression of CXCR3 at the surface of NK cells was increased by LASV and, to a lesser extent, by MOPV, and NKp30 also appeared

to be slightly downregulated. Nutlin-3 research buy Unlike DCs, MΦs have been reported to be activated early in infection with MOPV and, to a lesser extent, with LASV [6, 8]. In our model, DCs and MΦs were infected with LASV or MOPV and co-cultured with autologous NK cells. Cells were analyzed 3 days after to study the activation of infected APCs cocultured with NK cells and to determine whether they could mediate NK-cell activation and proliferation. As a positive control, NK cells were activated directly with IL-2/PHA and APC-mediated NK-cell activation was performed with LPS-matured DCs and MΦs. Infected DCs were not activated in the absence or presence of autologous Suplatast tosilate NK cells (data not shown). Consistent with our previous studies, the expression of CD40 and CD80 at the surface of MΦs was increased by MOPV infection only and CD86 was upregulated in the presence of both viruses (Fig. 2A). The analysis of NK/MΦ cocultures revealed an increase in the proportion of CD40-, CD80-, and CD86-expressing MΦs in the presence of both viruses. Moreover, the activation of infected MΦs was substantially improved in the presence of autologous NK cells. No change in the expression of CD69, activating (NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, and NKG2D) or inhibitory (KIR2DL2/3) NK-cell receptors and CXCR3 was observed in the presence of LASV- or MOPV-infected DCs (Fig. 2B and data not shown).