Human tumour-associated NK cells secrete increased amounts of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4

Numerous interactions between malignant and stromal/inflammatory cells take place within solid human tumours, which are mediated, in part, by the release of signalling proteins called cytokines. In the present study, we have compared the secretion of two important immunomodulatory cytokines, IFN-gamma and IL-4 by individual, immunophenotyped NK cells freshly isolated from either malignant tumour biopsies, or peripheral blood samples from patients with ductal invasive breast cancer. Due to the marked heterogeneity amongst cells isolated from these clinical samples, we have employed a technique called the reverse haemolytic plaque assay to identify and enumerate cytokine-secreting cells at the single cell level. Our data indicate that NK cells isolated directly from the tumour site secrete more IFN-gamma and IL-4 than NK cells from the blood of the same patients. However, a greater proportion of CD16+ cells from both sources in breast cancer patients secreted IFN-gamma than of those from the blood of healthy donors. We also show that factors secreted by the human breast cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-231 PN9, were able to mimic the stimulatory influence of the tumour microenvironment on secretory activity of NK cells.