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Assessing Changes in Human Natural Killer Cell Metabolism Using the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer

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Natural Killer (NK) Cells

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2463))

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic cells that mediate anti-tumor and anti-viral immunity. The response of NK cells to different cytokines and stimuli may involve cell survival, proliferation, and changes in their cytotoxic function. These responses will be supported by changes in cellular metabolism. Therefore, changes in NK metabolic parameters could somehow predict changes in NK cell function and cytotoxicity. In this chapter, we describe a protocol to measure NK cell metabolism in primary human NK cells by using an extracellular flux analyzer. This machine measures pH and oxygen changes in the medium and allows the study of NK cell glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration in real time with a small number of cells.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Michael N. Sack (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NIH) and Thomas A. Waldmann (National Cancer Institute, NIH) for continuous support and discussion. This study was supported by grants RYC2018-026050-I and PID2019-105665RA-I00 of MICINN (Spain) to J.T. This study was also supported by the Intramural Research Programs of the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular Biology Severo Ochoa, Spanish National Research Council-Autonomous University of Madrid (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain

    Javier Traba & Olga M. Antón

  2. Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA

    Olga M. Antón

Authors
  1. Javier Traba
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  2. Olga M. Antón
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olga M. Antón .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Translational Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Noriko Shimasaki

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Traba, J., Antón, O.M. (2022). Assessing Changes in Human Natural Killer Cell Metabolism Using the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer. In: Shimasaki, N. (eds) Natural Killer (NK) Cells. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2463. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2160-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2160-8_12

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2159-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2160-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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