Vinay Kumar, M.B.B.S., M.D., FRCPath

Cellular and molecular biology of murine natural killer (NK) cells

Research Summary

Our laboratory is interested in the cellular and molecular biology of murine natural killer (NK) cells. These cells are believed to act as the first line of defense against tumors and viral infections. In addition they secrete a variety of cytokines including 1FN-g and GM-CSF that can influence the inflammatory response. Two aspects of NK cell biology are of particular interest to us: the development of NK cells from multipotent progenitor cells, and the identification of NK cell receptors and their ligands.

Selected Papers

Kumar V, Cotran RS, and Robbins SL. (1997). Basic Pathology, 6th edition. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, PA

Cotran RS, Kumar V, and Collins T. (1999). Pathologic Basis of Disease, 6th edition. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA

Robbins SL, Cotran RS, and Kumar V. (2000). Companion to Pathologic Basis of Disease, 3rd edition. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA.

Kumar V, and Hagler H. (2000). Interactive Case study Comparison to Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA.

Klatt E, and Kumar V. (2000). Robbins Review of Pathology. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA.

Williams NS, Kubota A, Bennett M, Kumar V, Takei F. (2000). Clonal analysis of NK cell development from bone marrow progenitors in vitro: orderly acquisition of receptor gene expression. Eur J Immunol., 30(7):2074-82.

Stepp SE, Mathew PA, Bennett M, de Saint Basile G, Kumar V. (2000). Perforin: more than just an effector molecule. Immunol Today, 21(6):254-6.

Liu J, Morris MA, Nguyen P, George TC, Koulich E, Lai WC, Schatzle JD, Kumar V, Bennett M. (2000). Ly49I NK cell receptor transgene inhibition of rejection of H2b mouse bone marrow transplants. J Immunol., 164(4):1793-9.

Boles KS, Stepp SE, Bennett M, Kumar V, and Mathew PA. (2001). 2B4 (CD244) and CS1: Novel members of the CD2 subset of the Ig superfamily molecules expressed on JK cells and other leukocytes. Immunol Rev. 181:234-49.

Catalina F, Speciale SG, Kumar V, Milewich L, and Bennett M. (2001). Food Restriction-like effects on dietary dehydroepiandrosterone. Hypothalamic neurotransmitters and metabolites in male C57BL/6 and (C57BL/6 x DBA/2)F1 mice. Experimental Biology Medicine 226:208-215.

Taylor MA, Chaudhary PM, Klem J, Kumar V, Schatzle JD, Bennett M. (2001). Inhibition of the death receptor pathway by cFLIP confers partial engraftment of MHC class I-deficient stem cells and reduces tumor clearance in perforin-deficient mice. J Immunol Oct 15;167(8):4230-7.

Morris MA, Liu J, Arora V, George TC, Klem J, Schatzle JD, Kumar V, Bennett M. (2002). B6 Strain Ly49I Inhibitory Gene Expression on T Cells in FVB.Ly49I(B6) Transgenic Mice Fails to Prevent Normal T Cell Functions. J Immunol. 2002 Oct 1;169(7):3661-6.

Klem J, Verrett PC, Kumar V, Schatzle JD. (2002). 2B4 is constitutively associated with linker for the activation of T cells in glycolipid-enriched microdomains: properties required for 2B4 lytic function. J Immunol Jul 1;169(1):55-62.

Lian RH, Kumar V. (2002). Murine natural killer cell progenitors and their requirements for development. Semin Immunol Dec; 14(6):453-60.

Morris MA, Koulich E, Liu J, Arora V, George TC, Schatzle JD, Kumar V, Bennett M. (2002). Definition of additional functional ligands for Ly49I(B6) using FVBLy49I(B6) transgenic mice and B6 natural killer cell effectors. Transplantation Nov 27; 74(10):1449-54.

Kouro T, Kumar V, Kincade PW. (2002). Relationships between early B- and NK-lineage lymphocyte precursors in bone marrow. Blood Nov 15; 100(10):3672-80.

Lee KM, Bhawan S, Majima T, Wei H, Nishimura MI, Yagita H, Kumar V. (2003). Cutting Edge: The NK Cell Receptor 2B4 Augments Antigen-Specific T Cell Cytotoxicity Through CD48 Ligation on Neighboring T Cells. J Immunol. May 15;170(10):4881-5

Kawamura T, Koka R, Ma A, Kumar, V. (2003). Differential Roles for IL-15R -Chain in NK Cell Development and Ly-49 Induction. J. Immunol. 2003 Nov 15;171(10):5085-90.

Catalina F, Milewich L, Kumar V, Bennett M. (2003). Dietary dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits bone marrow and leukemia cell transplants: role of food restriction. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 228(11): 1303-20.

Lee KM, McNerney ME, Stepp SE, Mathew PA, Schatzle JD, Bennett M, and Kumar V. (2004). 2B4 Acts As a Non-Major Histocompatibility Complex Binding Inhibitory Receptor on Mouse Natural Killer Cells. J. Exp. Med. May 3; 199(9):1245-1254. [See also commentary, page 1175 same issue].

Lian RH, Chin RK, Nemeth HE, Libby SL, Fu YX, Kumar V. (2004). A role for lymphotoxin in the acquisition of Ly49 receptors during NK cell development. Eur J Immunol. 34(10):2699.