Development of Natural Killer Cells: Comparison of the Maturation Rates in Different Lymphoid Compartments

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Abstract
By means of semisyngeneic bone marrow transplantation, the appearance of donor-type natural killer (NK) cells in different organs (spleen, blood, lungs) of the recipients was studied. Seven days after the transplantation the first donor-type NK cells appeared in all these organs, and adult NK levels were reached simultaneously within a couple of days. The first NK cells to appear in every organ divided rapidly (sensitive to hydroxyurea) and contained a high proportion of Thy-1+ cells. These data suggest that NK cell precursors mature locally and simultaneously in different organs.