TLR3 ligand-induced accumulation of activated splenic natural killer cells into liver

It has been revealed that poly I:C is a potent stimulator for NK cells, which can induce NK cell rapid activation and preferential accumulation into liver. However, the process mediating the influx of NK cells remains obscure. In this study, we found that poly I:C administration increased the portion and absolute number of NK cells in liver, but largely decreased those in spleen. There were no obvious changes of these lymphocytes in other immune organs. The results from splenic adoptive transfer and splenectomy showed that the recruited spleen NK cells contributed to the accumulation of NK cells in liver, and this process was regulated by the production of chemokines and the presence of T cells. This investigation will help to understand the enhanced immune cell recruitment in liver upon viral infection.