Tissue-resident NK cells differ in their expression profile of the nutrient transporters Glut1, CD98 and CD71.

Metabolism is a critical basis for immune cell functionality. It was recently shown that NK cell subsets from peripheral blood modulate their expression of nutrient receptors following cytokine stimulation, demonstrating that NK cells can adjust to changes in metabolic requirements. As nutrient availability in blood and tissues can significantly differ, we examined NK cells isolated from paired blood-liver and blood-spleen samples and compared expression of the nutrient transporters Glut1, CD98 and CD71. CD56bright tissue-resident (CXCR6+) NK cells derived from livers and spleens expressed lower levels of Glut1 but higher levels of the amino acid transporter CD98 following stimulation than CD56bright NK cells from peripheral blood. In line with that, CD56dim NK cells, which constitute the main NK cell population in the peripheral blood, expressed higher levels of Glut1 and lower levels of CD98 and CD71 compared to liver CD56bright NK cells. Our results show that NK cells from peripheral blood differ from liver- and spleen-resident NK cells in the expression profile of nutrient transporters, consistent with a cell-adaptation to the different nutritional environment in these compartments.