Regulation and antimetastatic functions of liver-associated natural killer cells

The liver is a complex organ composed of hepatic parenchymal cells and a variety of non-parenchymal cells that consist of endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and several subsets of resident lymphocytes, including natural killer (NK), T, and NK1.1+/CD3+ (NK/T) cells. The regulation of these various lymphoid subpopulations and their relative contributions to antiviral, antitumor and pathogenic inflammatory responses in the liver remain topics of much interest. Studies from our laboratory have shown that various immune stimulants and cytokines can augment liver-associated NK activity at least partially through the mobilization of NK cells from the bone marrow to the liver. The mobilization process can be dependent on the induction of interferon (IFN)-gamma and/or tumor necrosis factor-alpha and on very late activation antigen-4/vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 interaction. The induction of IFN-gamma by cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12 also rapidly triggers the induction of chemokine genes in parenchymal cells that may contribute to the localization of NK and T cells. Both IL-2 and IL-12 trigger changes in the number and functions of liver-associated leukocyte subsets, and induce antimetastatic effects that are likely mediated through several direct and indirect mechanisms. The overall goal of these studies is to understand the interactions and functions of liver-associated NK1.1+ cells in the context of innate and adaptive immune responses to neoplasia.