| First Author | Despoix N | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | 2855-64 |
| PubMed ID | 18958886 | Mgi Jnum | J:144047 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3829826 | Doi | 10.1002/eji.200838469 |
| Citation | Despoix N, et al. (2008) Mouse CD146/MCAM is a marker of natural killer cell maturation. Eur J Immunol 38(10):2855-64 |
| abstractText | CD146/melanoma cell adhesion molecule is an adhesion molecule expressed by endothelial cells and by a small fraction of activated T and B lymphocytes in humans. In order to analyze the pattern of CD146 expression in mouse leukocytes at steady-state conditions, we generated a set of novel rat anti-mouse CD146 monoclonal antibodies. CD146 expression was undetectable on monocytes, dendritic cells, T cells or B cells, but was expressed on about 30% of neutrophils and 60% of NK cells. Within murine lymphocytes, CD146 was defined as a novel NK-specific surface molecule. An increased percentage of CD146+ cells was found in the most mature CD27(-)CD11b+ NK cell subpopulation, which also displays higher expression of Ly49C/I, Ly49D and KLRG1 and lower expression of NKG2A/C/E molecules. CD146+ NK cells were found to be less cytotoxic and produce less IFN-gamma than CD146(-) NK cells upon stimulation with target cells or activating antibodies. These findings define CD146 as a marker of mouse NK cell maturation that may be used as an alternative to the combined use of CD27 and CD11b staining to detect final stages of NK cell maturation. |
