Increased Chemokine Production is a Hallmark of Rhesus Macaque Natural Killer Cells Mediating Robust Anti-HIV...

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxic (ADCC) response mediated by natural killer (NK) cells correlates with decreased infection risk in studies involving simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine candidates. Currently, the heterogeneities of the functional subset of rhesus macaque natural killer (RMNK) cells are under-characterized.

We engaged the RMNK cells with ADCC-mediating anti-HIV-1 monoclonal antibodies (ADCCAbs) or anti-CD16 antibodies and used CD107a expression as the surrogate marker for RMNK cells actively involved in ADCC. CD107a⁺ and CD107a^- populations were analyzed individually using single-cell RNA sequencing.

Subsets of CD107a⁺ RMNK cells produced more chemokines than the others, suggesting that these cells not only eliminate infected cells but also provide immunoregulatory signals and potentially curb HIV-1 replication. Crosslinking of Fc gamma receptor IIIa via anti-CD16 antibodies resulted in a significantly higher percentage of degranulating cells than via ADCCAbs. However, the magnitude of degranulation and chemokine production was reduced by 6- to 30-fold.

The quality and quantity of receptor engagement are important determinants of achieving an optimal level of the RMNK response.