Teasing Out the Interplay Between Natural Killer Cells and Nociceptor Neurons

Summary

Nociceptor neurons and NK cells actively interact in an inflammatory context. A co-culture approach enables studying this interplay.

Abstract

Somatosensory neurons have evolved to detect noxious stimuli and activate defensive reflexes. By sharing means of communication, nociceptor neurons also tune host defenses by controlling the activity of the immune system. The communication between these systems is mostly adaptive, helping to protect homeostasis, it can also lead to, or promote, the onset of chronic diseases. Both systems co-evolved to allow for such local interaction, as found in primary and secondary lymphoid tissues and mucosa. Recent studies have demonstrated that nociceptors directly detect and respond to foreign antigens, immune cell-derived cytokines, and microbes.

Nociceptor activation not only results in pain hypersensitivity and itching, but lowers the nociceptor firing threshold, leading to the local release of neuropeptides. The peptides that are produced by, and released from, the peripheral terminals of nociceptors can block the chemotaxis and polarization of lymphocytes, controlling the localization, duration, and type of inflammation. Recent evidence shows that sensory neurons interact with innate immune cells via cell-cell contact, for example, engaging group 2D (NKG2D) receptors on natural killer (NK) cells.

Given that NK cells express the cognate receptors for various nociceptor-produced mediators, it is conceivable that nociceptors use neuropeptides to control the activity of NK cells. Here, we devise a co-culture method to study nociceptor neuron-NK cell interactions in a dish. Using this approach, we found that lumbar nociceptor neurons decrease NK cell cytokine expression. Overall, such a reductionist method could be useful to study how tumor-innervating neurons control the anticancer function of NK cells and how NK cells control the elimination of injured neurons.

Introduction

The cell bodies of sensory neurons originate in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The DRG are located in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), between the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and the peripheral nerve terminals. The pseudo-unipolar nature of DRG neurons allows the transfer of information from the peripheral branch, which innervates the target tissue, to the central branch, which carries the somatosensory information to the spinal cord¹. Using specialized ion channel receptors, first-order neurons sense threats posed by pathogens, allergens, and pollutants², leading to the influx of cations (Na⁺, Ca^2....

Protocol

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees of Université de Montréal (#22053, #22054) approved all animal procedures. See Table 1 for a list of solutions and their composition and the Table of Materials for a list of materials, equipment, and reagents used in this protocol.

1. NK cell isolation, culture, and stimulation

1. Generate nociceptor neuron intact (littermate control; TRPV1^wt::DTA^fl/wt) a.......

Discussion

Davies et al.¹¹ found that injured neurons upregulate RAE1. Via cell-cell contact, NKG2D-expressing NK cells were then able to identify and eliminate RAE1⁺ neurons, which in turn limit chronic pain¹¹. Given that NK cells also express various neuropeptide receptors, and that those neuropeptides are known for their immunomodulatory capabilities, it appears increasingly important to study the interaction between NK cells and nociceptor neurons in vitro<.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Anti-mouse CD16/32	Jackson Laboratory	Cat no: 017769
B-27	Jackson Laboratory	Cat no: 009669
Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) culture grade	World Precision Instruments	Cat no: 504167
BV421 anti-mouse NK-1.1	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: 12430112
Cell strainer (50 μm)	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: A3160702
Collagenase IV	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: 15140148
Diphteria toxinfl/fl	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: SH3057402
Dispase II	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: 13-678-20B
Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)	Fisher Scientific	Cat no: 07-200-95
EasySep Mouse NK Cell Isolation Kit	Sigma	Cat no: CLS2595
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)	Sigma	Cat no: C0130
FACSAria III	Sigma	Cat no: 04942078001
Fetal bovine serum (FBS)	Sigma	Cat no: 806552
FITC anti-mouse NKp46	Sigma	Cat no: L2020
Flat bottom 96-well plate	Sigma	Cat no: 03690
Glass Pasteur pipette	Sigma	Cat no: 470236-274
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)	VWR	Cat no: 02-0131
Laminin	Cedarlane	Cat no: 03-50/31
L-Glutamine	Gibco	Cat no: A14867-01
Mouse recombinant IL-15	Gibco	Cat no: 22400-089
Mouse recombinant IL-2	Gibco	Cat no: 21103-049
Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)	Life Technologies	Cat no: 13257-019
Neurobasal media	PeproTech	Cat no: 450-51-10
PE anti-mouse GM-CSF	PeproTech	Cat no: 212-12
Penicillin and Streptomycin	PeproTech	Cat no: 210-15
Pestles	Stem Cell Technology	Cat no: 19855
Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)	Biolegend	Cat no: 108732	Clone PK136
RPMI 1640 media	Biolegend	Cat no: 137606	Clone 29A1.4
TRPV1Cre	Biolegend	Cat no: 505406	Clone MP1-22E9
Tweezers and dissection tools.	Biolegend	Cat no: 65-0865-14
U-Shaped-bottom 96-well plate	Biolegend	Cat no: 101319
Viability Dye eFlour-780	Becton Dickinson