NKG2D <i>ex vivo</i> blood gene expression prior to and during chemotherapy.

<p>RNA was extracted from whole blood Tempus tubes and gene expression investigated by qRT-PCR. (A) NKG2D expression in <i>ex vivo</i> venous blood from untreated active TB cases at diagnosis (n = 26), in latently-infected household contacts (Contacts (+): n = 13) and in uninfected contacts (Contacts (−): n = 11), all recruited in Lahore, Pakistan. The Wilcoxon ranksum test was used to compare the clinical groups. (B) NKG2D expression after the end of the intensive phase in 16 patients who were eventually successfully cured (closed circles) and in 2 patients who subsequently died (open circles). (C) NKG2D expression during the entire course of TB chemotherapy in a different 6 patients, for whom data were available at the end of treatment. The Wilcoxon signrank test was used to analyse the paired data in (B) and (C). The lines in the centre of each group represent medians. NKG2D mRNA expression was determined by qRT-PCR, with results shown normalised against the housekeeping gene Cyclophilin A.