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Comment to: Single-cell profiling reveals the trajectories of natural killer cell differentiation in bone marrow and a stress signature induced by acute myeloid leukemia

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 18, pages 1348–1349 (2021)Cite this article

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We have read with interest the article by Crinier et al. describing a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing dataset of human bone marrow natural killer (NK) cells from eight healthy donors.1 Their unbiased analysis resulted in the identification of three NK cell populations in bone marrow: hNK_Bm1, hNK_Bm2 and hNK_Bm3. These populations correspond to the NK cell populations that the authors previously described in human spleen: hNK_Spl1, hNK_Sp2 and hNK_Sp3.2 The authors compared the gene signatures of the three bone marrow populations to the conventional CD56bright and CD56dim NK cells in the blood and concluded that hNK_Bm1 cells resemble CD56dim NK cells, hNK_Bm2 cells correspond to CD56bright NK cells, and hNK_Bm3 represent a CD56bright tissue-resident NK cell population that is not present in the blood.1

Previously, we described a tissue-resident CD56bright CD69+CXCR6+ NK cell population in human lymphoid tissues and reported bulk RNA sequencing data on this lymphoid tissue NK (ltNK) population in bone marrow together with conventional CD56dim and CD56bright NK cells from bone marrow and blood.3,4 ltNK cells typically express CD69 and CXCR6, two hallmarks of tissue residency.4,5,6,7 These markers are also reported among the top ten membrane markers enriched in hNK_Bm2 cells.1 This prompted us to investigate the possibility that hNK_Bm2 cells, rather than hNK_Bm3 cells, are the tissue-resident NK cell population.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Pediatric Immunology, Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Janine E. Melsen, Gertjan Lugthart, Monique M. van Ostaijen-ten Dam & Marco W. Schilham

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  1. Janine E. Melsen
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  2. Gertjan Lugthart
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  3. Monique M. van Ostaijen-ten Dam
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  4. Marco W. Schilham
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Correspondence to Janine E. Melsen.

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Melsen, J.E., Lugthart, G., van Ostaijen-ten Dam, M.M. et al. Comment to: Single-cell profiling reveals the trajectories of natural killer cell differentiation in bone marrow and a stress signature induced by acute myeloid leukemia. Cell Mol Immunol 18, 1348–1349 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-021-00653-4

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