RESUMO
The present study was carried out to mechanistically view a possible correlation between the process of, conjugate formation and its relation to target cell death. AK-5 killing is mediated by CD8+ natural killer cells through ADCC. Immune effectors on exposure to antibody primed AK-5 tumor cells formed tight conjugates. Ability of various cell types (NK, T, monocytes and macrophages) to form conjugates was evaluated. Marked increase in the number of NK cells binding to the target as compared to the other cell types was observed. Cytotoxicity of free and bound effectors against antibody tagged AK-5 cells demonstrated a reduced cytotoxic ability of the former in contrast to a significantly high lytic potential of the bound effectors. The results highlight the requirement for priming of NK cells which mediate killing of AK-5 tumor and provide additional evidence that formation of stable conjugates acts as the first signal for triggering lymphocyte activation and effective target cell lysis.