Figure 6. Addition of CD14⁺ cells increases NK cell recovery and permits NKG2C⁺ subset expansion in purified NK cultures.

(A) PBMCs or purified NK cells were cocultured with AD169-infected fibroblasts. CD14⁺ cells from the same donor were added to NK cells in infected cocultures at a ratio of 1:1. At the end of the coculture, cells were stained for NKp46, NKG2C, and CD3 and analyzed by flow cytometry. Dot plots were gated on live CD3^– cells (1 representative out of 5 donors is shown). (B and C) Graphs depict the absolute number of all NKp46⁺CD3^– cells (B) or NKG2C⁺NKp46⁺CD3^– (C) cells per 24 wells (Mann-Whitney test: *P = 0.0317; **P = 0.0079; n = 5; error bars indicate ± SEM).