Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The maximum conjugate frequency (alpha max) characterizes killer cell populations.

P Garcia-Peñarrubia1, F T Koster, A D Bankhurst

  • 1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 87131.

Journal of Immunological Methods
|March 31, 1989
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Regulatory role of PI3K-protein kinase B on the release of interleukin-1β in peritoneal macrophages from the ascites of cirrhotic patients.

Clinical and experimental immunology·2014
Same author

Does ultrasound guidance improve the outcomes of arthrocentesis and corticosteroid injection of the knee?

Scandinavian journal of rheumatology·2011
Same author

Pressure generated by syringes: implications for hydrodissection and injection of dense connective tissue lesions.

Scandinavian journal of rheumatology·2011
Same author

The incidence of serologic evidence of antecedent autoimmune thyroiditis in asymptomatic patients referred to an outpatient rheumatology consultation clinic for a positive antinuclear antibody test.

Clinical and experimental rheumatology·2007
Same author

Role of trehalose in resistance to macrophage killing: study with a tps1/tps1 trehalose-deficient mutant of Candida albicans.

Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases·2007
Same author

A randomised controlled trial of the reciprocating syringe in arthrocentesis.

Annals of the rheumatic diseases·2005

A new method quantifies natural killer (NK) cell conjugation frequency using alpha max, a reliable metric independent of effector-target ratio or cell source. This approach overcomes limitations in current NK cell characterization, enabling accurate comparisons and assessment of cell activation.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Quantitative Biology

Background:

  • Current methods for characterizing natural killer (NK) cell conjugation frequency are inconsistent, leading to variations in reported data.
  • The frequency of NK cell conjugation (alpha) is influenced by effector-to-target ratio (R), cell numbers (N, T), donor source, and effector cell enrichment.
  • Existing practices of reporting conjugation frequency at a single R value are insufficient for valid comparisons across studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a quantitative procedure for characterizing NK cell populations based on the relationship between conjugation frequency (alpha) and effector-to-target ratio (R).
  • To identify a reliable metric for NK cell conjugation that is independent of experimental variables like R, N, and donor source.
  • To apply this new metric to assess NK cell enrichment and potential activation or inhibition.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the influence of effector-to-target ratio (R), effector and target cell numbers (N, T), and effector cell source/enrichment on NK-K562 cell conjugation frequency (alpha).
  • Analyzed the relationship between 1/alpha and R for a constant N, revealing a linear plot with a consistent intercept.
  • Utilized monoclonal antibodies (Leu-2, Leu-3, Leu-4) for NK cell purification and characterized conjugation using the alpha max metric.

Main Results:

  • The frequency of conjugation (alpha) varies significantly with donor and cell number (N) at a given R, invalidating comparisons based solely on R.
  • A linear relationship exists between 1/alpha and R (for constant N), with the intercept representing alpha max, the maximum conjugation frequency.
  • Alpha max is constant across different R and N values and is independent of the cell donor, making it a robust characteristic metric.
  • Highly purified NK cells (≥99%) yielded an alpha max of 58 ± 3%, while a mixed population (MDC, 14% NK cells) showed a reduced alpha max of 26 ± 1%.

Conclusions:

  • Alpha max provides an accurate and reproducible criterion for quantifying NK cell conjugation frequency, overcoming limitations of previous methods.
  • This metric can be used to reliably compare NK cell populations across different donors and experimental conditions.
  • Alpha max can serve as a valuable tool for assessing NK cell enrichment and evaluating the effects of agents on NK cell activity.