Figure 4.

Relationship among cytotoxicity, expression of NKp46 or NK2D, and ERK phosphorylation. When the NK cells of healthy individuals were analyzed, an individual with high cytotoxicity showed high expression of NKp46 and high phosphorylation of ERK induced through NKp46, and there was also a similar relationship among cytotoxicity, NKG2D expression, and ERK phosphorylation. These findings suggest that low expression of NKp46 may be attributed to decreased cytotoxicity of NK cells in patients with malignant mesothelioma. The levels in each individual relative to an individual with the highest cytotoxicity are shown.