Unconventional repertoire profile is imprinted during acute chikungunya infection for natural killer cells polarization toward cytotoxicity

• Published in: PLoS pathogens Vol. 7; no. 9; p. e1002268
• Main Authors: Petitdemange, Caroline, Becquart, Pierre, Wauquier, Nadia, Béziat, Vivien, Debré, Patrice, Leroy, Eric M, Vieillard, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.09.2011; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alphavirus Infections - immunology; CD56 Antigen - immunology; Cells; Chikungunya Fever; Chikungunya virus; Chikungunya virus - immunology; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic - immunology; Emerging diseases; Female; Health aspects; HLA-C Antigens - immunology; Human health and pathology; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Immunology; Infections; Infectious diseases; Innate immunity; Killer cells; Killer Cells, Natural - immunology; Life Sciences; Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C - immunology; NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D - immunology; Physiological aspects; Receptors, Natural Killer Cell - analysis; Software; France
• ISSN: 1553-7374; 1553-7366; 1553-7374
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002268

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a worldwide emerging pathogen. In humans it causes a syndrome characterized by high fever, polyarthritis, and in some cases lethal encephalitis. Growing evidence indicates that the innate immune response plays a role in controlling CHIKV infection. We show here that CHIKV induces major but transient modifications in NK-cell phenotype and function soon after the onset of acute infection. We report a transient clonal expansion of NK cells that coexpress CD94/NKG2C and inhibitory receptors for HLA-C1 alleles and are correlated with the viral load. Functional tests reveal cytolytic capacity driven by NK cells in the absence of exogenous signals and severely impaired IFN-γ production. Collectively these data provide insight into the role of this unique subset of NK cells in controlling CHIKV infection by subset-specific expansion in response to acute infection, followed by a contraction phase after viral clearance.