Fig. 6. The response to K562 MHC-I-devoid target cells is increased in patients with acute HCV infection.

(A) Dot plots represent the percent of NK cells that produced CD107a following a 6 h incubation with 221 cells, K562 cells and p815 cells covered with p815 antibody at an E:T ratio of 10:1 for each individual divided among. ▲, acute HCV; △, chronic HCV; ▼, HCV resolvers; and ○, HCV negative controls. Horizontal lines indicate the median percentages. Representative primary flow panels show percentages of CD107a⁺ CD56^bright, CD107a⁺ CD56^dim and CD107a⁺ CD56^negNK cells in response to 221, K562, and p815-coated target cells. (B) The functional capacity of NK cells against K562 target cells correlates with the proportion of NK cells expressing NKG2D. (C) The dot plots compare the proportions of CD107a⁺ NK cells between study subjects identified during acute HCV infection who subsequently developed a chronic disease (■) and subjects who subsequently resolved the infection (■). Horizontal lines indicate the median percentages. (D) Inverse correlation between the intensity of the NK cell response against 221 target cells and the proportion of NK cells expressing NKp46. (E)The ability of NK cells to perform ADCC positively correlates with the proportion of NK cells expressing theFcγRCD16. (F) and (G) The dot plots compare the percentages of CD56^bright, CD56^dim, and CD56^neg NK cells that produced IFN-γ (F) or CD107a (G) following a 6 h incubation with 221, K562, and p815 cells covered with p815 antibody at an E:T ratio of 10:1 for each individual divided among. ▲, Acute HCV; △, chronic HCV; ▼, HCV resolvers; and ○, HCV negative controls. Horizontal lines indicate the median percentages. Representative primary flow panels show percentages of IFN-γ + CD56^bright, IFN-γ + CD56^dim, and IFN-γ + CD56^neg NK cells in response to 221, K562 and p815-coated target cells.