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Reply to Dr Grzywacz

Leukemia volume 21, page 359 (2007)Cite this article

We would like to thank Dr Grzywacz and co-workers for their well taken remarks1 concerning our article in Leukemia.2 We have presented a novel flow cytometric assay that detects natural killer (NK) cell degranulation as a reliable indicator of NK cell activation. Using this method, we found that NK cells, after degranulation, are CD56dim/CD16neg upon interaction with tumor targets. In a previous work, Nagler et al.3 showed that CD56dim/CD16pos cells are potent mediators of natural cytotoxicity in the peripheral blood. Dr Grzywacz is now able to provide an explanation for both phenomena observed. In a series of experiments he shows that CD16pos NK cells lose CD16 expression upon interaction with NK sensitive target cells.

Taken together, we are happy that our publication in Leukemia2 led to scientific discussions and consequently to Dr Grzywacz's interesting findings. The CD107a assay is a highly sensitive method to assess NK cell degranulation, and its results are strictly correlated with NK cell cytotoxicity. Its simple and rapid performance makes it a suitable method to assess NK cell activity in immunocompromised patients. Currently, we are using the assay successfully to detect NK cell degranulation as marker of NK cell activity in patients undergoing hemopoietic stem cell transplantation.

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Figure 1

References

  1. Grzywacz B, Kataria N, Verneris M . CD56dimCD16+ NK cells downregulate CD16 following taret cell induced activation of matrix metalloproteinases. Leukemia 2006. (in press)

  2. Penack O, Gentilini C, Fischer L, Asemissen AM, Scheibenbogen C, Thiel E et al. CD56dimCD16neg cells are responsible for natural cytotoxicity against tumor targets. Leukemia 2005; 19: 835–840.

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  3. Nagler A, Lanier LL, Cwirla S, Phillips JH . Comparative studies of human FcRIII-positive and negative natural killer cells. J Immunol 1989; 143: 3183–3191.

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  4. Fischer L, Penack O, Gentilini C, Nogai A, Muessig A, Thiel E et al. The anti-lymphoma effect of antibody-mediated immunotherapy is based on an increased degranulation of peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells. Exp Hematol 2006; 34: 753–759.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Transfusion Medicine, Charité-Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

    O Penack & L Uharek

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  1. O Penack
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  2. L Uharek
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Correspondence to O Penack.

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Penack, O., Uharek, L. Reply to Dr Grzywacz. Leukemia 21, 359 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2404498

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