Claus Maren, Watzl Carsten
Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Curr Protoc Immunol. 2010 Nov;Chapter 7:Unit7.39. doi: 10.1002/0471142735.im0739s91.
Natural killer (NK) cells are important effector cells of the innate immune system. Activation of NK cells results in their cytotoxic activity against locally attached target cells and leads to the secretion of cytokines. These activities are usually measured in purified NK cells or isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In this unit, we describe a protocol to measure NK cell cytotoxicity (lysis of (51)Cr labeled target cells), degranulation (externalization of CD107a), and cytokine production (intracellular FACS analysis of IFN-γ) in whole-blood samples. Using these protocols, it is possible to perform a comprehensive analysis of NK cell function with as little as 3.5 ml of heparinized whole blood.
自然杀伤（NK）细胞是先天性免疫系统的重要效应细胞。NK细胞的激活会导致其对局部附着的靶细胞产生细胞毒性活性，并引发细胞因子的分泌。这些活性通常在纯化的NK细胞或分离的外周血单个核细胞中进行检测。在本单元中，我们描述了一种用于检测全血样本中NK细胞细胞毒性（裂解（51）Cr标记的靶细胞）、脱颗粒（CD107a外化）和细胞因子产生（IFN-γ的细胞内流式细胞术分析）的方案。使用这些方案，只需3.5毫升肝素化全血就可以对NK细胞功能进行全面分析。
