Dynamic change in natural killer cell type in the human ocular mucosa in situ as means of immune evasion by adenovirus infection

Abstract

The most severe form of virus-induced inflammation at the ocular surface is epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), often caused by group D human adenoviruses (HAdVs). We investigated the dynamics and mechanisms of changes in natural killer (NK) cell types in the human ocular mucosal surface in situ over the course of infection. In the acute phase of infection, the mature CD56 dim NK cells that comprise a major subpopulation in the normal human conjunctiva are replaced by CD56 bright NK cells recruited to the ocular surface by chemokines produced by the infected epithelium, and NKG2A-expressing CD56 dim and CD56 bright NK cells become the major subpopulations in severe inflammation. These NK ce..