Conditional ablation of NKp46+ cells using a novel Ncr1greenCre mouse strain: NK cells are essential for protection against pulmonary B16 metastases

To study gene functions specifically in NKp46+ cells we developed novel Cre mice allowing for conditional gene targeting in cells expressing Ncr1 (encoding NKp46). We generated transgenic Ncr1greenCre mice carrying an EGFPcre fusion under the control of a proximal Ncr1 promoter that faithfully directed EGFPcre expression to NKp46+ cells from lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. This approach allowed for direct detection of Cre-expressing NKp46+ cells via their GFP signature by flow cytometry and histology. Cre was functional as evidenced by the NKp46+ cell-specific expression of RFP in Ncr1greenCreRosa-dtRFP reporter mice. We generated Ncr1greenCreIl2rgfl/fl mice that lack NKp46+ cells in an otherwise intact hematopoietic environment. Il2rg encodes the common gamma chain (γc), which is an essential receptor subunit for cytokines (IL-2, -4, -7, -9, -15, and -21) that stimulate lymphocyte development and function. In Ncr1greenCreIl2rgfl/fl mice, NK cells are severely reduced and the few remaining NKp46+ cells escaping γc deletion failed to express GFP. Using this new NK-cell-deficient model, we demonstrate that the homeostasis of NKp46+ cells from all tissues (including the recently described intraepithelial ILC1 subset) requires Il2rg. Finally, Ncr1greenCreIl2rgfl/fl mice are unable to reject B16 lung metastases demonstrating the essential role of NKp46+ cells in antimelanoma immune responses.