Protein Expression Analysis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells during Osteopontin-Induced Differentiation of Natural Killer Cells

Natural Killer (NK) cells are the lymphocytes that are derived from hematopoietic stem cells, developed in the bone marrow from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) by sequential acquisition of functional surface receptors, and express the repertoire of inhibitory and activating receptors. Recently, Osteopontin (OPN) has been identified as a critical factor for differentiation of natural killer cells. However, the detailed mechanism of OPN-induced NK differentiation has been still to be elucidated. Here, we determined the signaling pathway and possible receptor for OPN in NK differentiation. OPN induced expression of Bcl-2 and activation of Erk kinase. Inhibition of Erk pathway decreased the effect of OPN on NK differentiation. In addition, the expression of integrin α9 was significantly increased by OPN during NK differentiation, suggesting the possible role of a major signaling molecule for OPN-induced NK differentiation.