Transcriptional regulation of adaptive NK and CD8 T cell responses [RNA-Seq]

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that possess features of adaptive immunity such as clonal expansion and generation of long-lived memory. Here we look at transcriptional profiles of NK cells throughout several time points during MCMV infection, ex-vivo cytokine stimulation, and/or deficiency of key transcription factors such as STAT4, STAT1, and Runx1. In addition, we profile parallel time points of MCMV-specific CD8 T cells during infection and memory formation. RNA-seq was performed on ex-vivo NK cultured overnight in cytokines or NK cells and CD8 T cells harvested during in-vivo infection. Cytokine conditions are as follows: unstim, IL-12 (20 ng/ml), IL-12 (20 ng/ml) and IL-18 (10 ng/ml), IFNa (100 U/ml) stim, IL-15 (10 ng/ml).