Natural Killer cells control tumor growth by sensing a growth factor

Many tumors produce platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-DD, which promotes cellular proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stromal reaction, and angiogenesis through autocrine and paracrine PDGFRß signaling. By screening a secretome library, we found that the human immunoreceptor NKp44 encoded by NCR2 and expressed on natural killer (NK) cells and innate lymphoid cells recognizes PDGF-DD. PDGF-DD engagement of NKp44 triggered NK cell secretion of IFN-? and TNF-a that induced tumor cell growth arrest. A distinctive transcriptional signature of PDGF-DD-induced cytokines and the downregulation of tumor cell cycle genes correlated with NCR2 and greater survival in glioblastoma. NKp44 expression in mouse NK cells controlled the dissemination of tumors expressing PDGF-DD more effectively than control mice, an effect enhanced by blockade of the inhibitory receptor CD96 or CpG-oligonucleotide treatment. Thus, whilst cancer cell production of PDGF-DD supports tumor growth and stromal reaction, it concomitantly activates innate immune responses to tumor expansion. Overall design: RNAseq of NK cell and tumor cell samples in reponse to various stimuli

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Barrow AD, Edeling MA, Trifonov V, Luo J, Goyal P, Bohl B, Bando JK, Kim AH, Walker J, Andahazy M, Bugatti M, Melocchi L, Vermi W, Fremont DH, Cox S, Cella M, Schmedt C, Colonna M