Nucleosome-dependent escape of tumor cells from natural-killer-mediated lysis: nucleosomes are taken up by target cells and act at a postconjugation level

 Our previous data suggested that chromatin fragments released from dead cells into the extracellular medium could be involved in the impairment of natural-killer (NK)-mediated cytotoxicity reported in cancer patients. In the present study, an inhibition of the NK-mediated lysis was obtained in vitro by nucleosome addition to different tumor target cells, independently of their sensitivity to NK-mediated lysis. We observed a rapid endocytosis and degradation of nucleosomes by K562 tumor target cells and (although to a much lesser extent) a binding to a subpopulation of lymphocytes. Nucleosomes impaired neither the conjugation step nor the expression of adhesion molecules at the effector (CD11a, CD18, CD2) or target (CD54, CD58) cell surface. On the contrary, flow-cytometry analysis of the conjugation suggested that nucleosomes might stabilize the conjugates. Investigations of the killing process showed that nucleosomes decreased the NK cytotoxic potential without modifying Ca²⁺-dependent lethal-hit-delivery kinetics. The cytotoxic potential was not restored by increasing the available magnesium and calcium concentrations in the extracellular medium. Taken together, the results suggest that the inhibition of NK-mediated lysis by nucleosomes may result from alterations of the NK mechanism at the postconjugation level and after lethal-hit delivery. Hence, the inhibition could involve a delay in the recycling of effector cells, or a resistance of tumor target cells to NK cells. Received: 7 October 1996 / Accepted: 12 November 1996