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. 2018 May 9;9:1009. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01009

Figure 1.

Figure 1

NK cells, including a liver-resident subset, are prevalent in liver tumors. (A) Gating strategy for identification of intrahepatic or tumor-infiltrating NK cells by flow cytometry, showing identification of CXCR6+CD69+ liver-resident NK cells (CD45+CD56+CD3−CD69+CXCR6+). (B) Proportion of NK cells, CD56+CD3+ cells, CD56−CD8+ T cells, and CD56−CD8− T cells in blood, liver, and tumor tissue in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 6) and CRC (n = 10). Bars show mean and SEM, p values determined by MANOVA. (C) Total NK cells (CD56+CD3−) as a proportion of CD45+ lymphocytes in HCC (n = 9) and CRC (n = 13) paired liver and tumor. Bars indicate mean of each group. (D) Flow cytometry dot plots showing CD45+ lymphocytes divided into NK, CD56+ T cells, and CD56− T cells for lymphocytes derived from peripheral blood, primary colonic adenocarcinoma, liver metastasis, and unaffected liver tissue in one individual. (E) CXCR6+CD69+ liver-resident NK cells as a proportion of total NK cells in blood, liver, and tumor from HCC (n = 10) and CRC (n = 13) patients by flow cytometry. Groups were compared using Mann–Whitney U test (unpaired) and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test (paired analyses). p ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant for all tests. Figures are labeled: *p ≤ 0.05; **p ≤ 0.005; ***p ≤ 0.001; ****p ≤ 0.0001.