# NK cell IL-10 production during bacterial infections

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2021 · $565,046

## Abstract

Project Summary
Mucosal barriers and innate immune responses protect us from invasive infection by many non-pathogenic
bacteria. However, certain bacterial pathogens have evolved strategies to cross mucosal barriers and
consequently establish severe, life-threatening systemic infections. Our studies have revealed a weak link in
the innate immune response that we hypothesize is exploited by these pathogens during their establishment of
systemic disease. These recent studies implicate natural killer (NK) cells as a major source of interleukin (IL)-
10 production during systemic infection by the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. IL-10 is a cytokine that many
pathogenic bacteria exploit during the establishment of severe infection. It was not previously appreciated that
NK cells are the major source of “pro-bacterial” IL-10 production. We further found that a secreted L.
monocytogenes bacterial virulence protein, p60, promotes NK cell IL-10 production by stimulating dendritic
cells (DC) to produce IL-18 and other essential factors. Our studies here address mechanisms by which these
factors coordinate NK cell activation to produce IL-10. We also investigate the impact of NK cell IL-10 on the
ability of these pathogens to cross different mucosal barriers to establish systemic disease. The mechanistic
information obtained through these studies may reveal strategies to promote or inhibit NK cell IL-10 production
to improve human health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132971
- **Project number:** 5R01AI131662-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Laurel L Lenz
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $565,046
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-10 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132971

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132971, NK cell IL-10 production during bacterial infections (5R01AI131662-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132971. Licensed CC0.

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