Engineering Receptor Expression on Natural Killer Cells Through Trogocytosis.

Trogocytosis is a rapid contact-dependent process by which lymphocytes acquire membrane patches from the target cells ('donor' cells) with which they interact and this phenomenon has been shown to occur in various immune cells. The surface molecules acquired through trogocytosis are functionally incorporated in the 'acceptor' cells transiently. We had previously demonstrated that trogocytosis can be utilized in place of gene transfer to engineer surface receptor expression on NK cells for adoptive immunotherapy applications. In this chapter, we describe detailed protocol for trogocytosis-co-culture of NK cell with the donor cell line, phenotypic assessment of receptor uptake and persistence, and assessment of NK cell function (migration) following receptor acquisition.