Psychoneuroimmunology and Natural Killer Cells: The Chromium-Release Whole-Blood Assay

Editor

Yan Q.

Department

Research

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Title

Psychoneuroimmunology. Methods in Molecular Biology

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are an essential component of innate immunity. These lymphocytes are also sensitive barometers of the effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on the immune system. This chapter describes a chromium (Cr)-release bioassay designed to measure to the target cell killing capacity of NK cells (NKCC). Key features of the cytotoxicity assay are that it is done with whole blood and that numbers of effector cells are determined for each sample by flow cytometry and lymphocyte count. Effector cells are defined as CD3-CD56+ lymphocytes. Target cells are the K562 erythroleukemia cell line. Killing capacity is defined as number of target cells killed per effector cell, at an effector cell/target cell ratio of 1:1 during a 4-h in vitro assay.

First Page

209

Last Page

220

DOI

10.1007/978-1-4939-7828-1_12

Volume

1781

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Publisher

Humana Press, New York, NY

Medical Subject Headings

Biological Assay; CD56 Antigen (immunology); Case-Control Studies; Chromium (blood, immunology); Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic (methods); Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic (blood, immunology, pathology); Flow Cytometry; Humans; K562 Cells; Killer Cells, Natural (cytology, immunology); Persian Gulf Syndrome (blood, immunology, pathology); Psychoneuroimmunology (methods)

PubMed ID

29705850

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