Figure 3. NK cell cytokines and growth factors and NKG2D stress molecule proteins are increased in BAL during severe PGD.

BAL from 29 participants with severe PGD and 45 participants without PGD was assayed for 6 NK cell–related cytokines and 6 NKG2D receptor stress molecules on postoperative day 1 after lung transplantation. (A) A heatmap demonstrates the fold difference in normalized abundance of these soluble proteins across lung transplant recipients. (B–G) MICB, ULBP4, ULBP2/5/6, IL-2, IFN-γ, and IL-15 were increased by multiplex ELISA. Summary data are displayed with box-and-whisker plots illustrating individual data points, bounded by boxes at 25th and 75th percentiles, and with medians depicted by bisecting lines. Individual P values are shown, and differences were assessed with Mann Whitney U test adjusted with the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure.