Clonal stochasticity in early NK cell response to mouse cytomegalovirus is generated by mature subsets of varying proliferative ability.

Proliferation and cell death fluctuations in mature NK cell subsets generate clonal heterogeneity during MCMV infection in mice.

• Why it matters: Understanding how NK cell responses are regulated is crucial for insights into innate immunity and viral defense mechanisms, especially given their ability to form memory-like responses similar to adaptive T cells.
• What they did: The study analyzed endogenous and adoptively transferred NK cells during MCMV infection, focusing on proliferation, cell death, and maturation rates, with particular attention to mature CD27- and CD27-Ly6C- NK cell subsets.
• The result: Intrinsic stochastic fluctuations and the interplay of proliferation and death in mature NK cell subsets regulate heterogeneity, with only NK cell growth rates increasing during infection, highlighting mechanisms behind NK cell clonal diversity.