CD16⁺ CD56^- NK cells in the peripheral blood of cord blood transplant recipients: A unique subset of NK cells possibly associated with graft-versus-leukemia effect

A marked increase in CD16⁺ CD56^- NK cells in the peripheral blood (PB) was observed in a cord blood transplant (CBT) recipient with refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in association with attaining molecular remission. CD16⁺ CD56^- NK cells isolated from the patient became CD16⁺CD56⁺NKG2D⁺ when they were cultured in the presence of IL-2. Although cultured CD16 ⁺CD56^- NK cells retained the killer-cell immunoglobulin receptor (KIR)-ligand (KIR-L) specificity and the patient's leukemic cells expressed corresponding KIR ligands, they killed patient's leukemic cells expressing ULBP2. The cytotoxicity by cultured CD16⁺CD56^- NK cells was abrogated by anti-ULBP2 antibodies. When leukemic cells obtained at relapse after CBT were examined, both the ULBP2 expression and susceptibility to the cultured NK cells decreased in comparison to leukemic cells obtained before CBT. An increase in the CD16⁺CD56^- NK cell count (0.5 × 10⁹/L or more) in PB was observed in seven of 11 (64%) CBT recipients but in none of 13 bone marrow (BM) and eight peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant recipients examined during the similar period after transplantation. These findings suggest an increase in CD16⁺CD56 ^- NK cells to be a phenomenon unique to CBT recipients and that mature NK cells derived from this NK cell subset may contribute to the killing of leukemic cells expressing NKG2D ligands in vivo.