MHC class I-deficient natural killer cells acquire a licensed phenotype after transfer into an MHC class I-sufficient environment

In MHC class I-deficient hosts, natural killer (NK) cells are hyporesponsive to cross-linking of activation receptors. Functional competence requires engagement of a self-major histocompatability complex (MHC) class I-specific inhibitory receptor, a process referred to as licensing. We previously suggested that licensing is developmentally determined in the bone marrow. In this study, we find that unlicensed mature MHC class I-deficient splenic NK cells show gain-of-function and acquire a licensed phenotype after adoptive transfer into wild-type (WT) hosts. Transferred NK cells produce WT levels of interferon-gamma after engagement of multiple activation receptors, and degranulate at levels equivalent to WT NK cells upon coincubation with target cells. Only NK cells expressing an inhibitory Ly49 receptor specific for a cognate host MHC class I molecule show this gain-of-function. Therefore, these findings, which may be relevant to clinical bone marrow transplantation, suggest that neither exposure to MHC class I ligands during NK development in the BM nor endogenous MHC class I expression by NK cells themselves is absolutely required for licensing.