Transcriptome analysis of human Natural Killer (NK) cells expressing a RUNX2-specific shRNA.

Research has already gained much insight into the roles of various members of the RUNX family of transcription factors in the development of human T- and B-cells, however the importance in human NK cell development remains unclear. Therefore, we transduced a shRNA that specifically binds to all known RUNX2 isoforms in human umbilical cord blood-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) and cultured them in vitro in an NK cell differentiation model. On day 21 of culture (CD56+CD94+) NK cells from shRNA and control cultures were sorted, after which mRNA was isolated and transcriptome analysis was performed by RNA sequencing. Evaluation of the transcriptome in these NK cells could reveal the molecular mechanisms of RUNX2. Overall design: mRNA profile of RUNX2 shRNA-expressing NK cells from d21 of culture in comparison to control transduced NK cells.