Figure 6

NKp30⁺ NK cells exhibited a progressive increase in the expression of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A in the NR patients.

(A) Changes in the percentage of NKG2A-expressing NK cells upon treatment in a representative patient. (B) A longitudinal analysis of the expression of NKG2A in paired samples of the SR and NR patients. (C) Changes in NKp30 and NKG2A co-expression on NK cells in a representative patient. (D,E) A longitudinal analysis of NKp30 and NKG2A co-expression on NK cells in paired samples of the SR and NR patients. (F) The percentages of NKp30⁺ NKG2A⁺ NK cells were significantly different between the SR and NR patients. (G) CD107a expression on CD56^bright NKp30⁺ and CD56^dim NKp30⁺ NK cells in the SR and NR patients after starting the Peg-IFN-α-2b therapy. (H) The percentage of CD56^bright NKp30⁺ CD107a⁺ and CD56^dim NKp30⁺ CD107a⁺ NK cells was higher in the SR patients than in the NR patients after starting the Peg-IFN-α-2b therapy. Horizontal bars indicate the mean values with the standard error of the mean. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01.