NKG2D gene expression at diagnosis and during chemotherapy in <i>in vitro</i> stimulated RNA samples.

<p>PBMC were isolated and stimulated <i>in vitro</i> with <i>M. bovis</i> BCG (MOI 1∶1) or anti-CD3 mAb for 16 hours and NKG2D mRNA expression analysed by qRT-PCR. (A) NKG2D mRNA expression at TB diagnosis in 26 untreated TB patients (P), 13 latently infected contacts (C+) and 11 uninfected contacts (C-). (B) Modulation of NKG2D mRNA expression during the intensive phase of treatment in 16 successfully cured TB patients. (C) NKG2D mRNA expression following stimulation in 2 patients who subsequently died. (D) NKG2D mRNA expression in a separate group of 6 successfully cured patients throughout the full treatment course. The line in the centre of the box and whisker plots represents the median whereas the top and bottom lines represent the 75^th and 25^th quartile respectively, and whiskers represent minimum and maximum data points. The Wilcoxon ranksum test (A.) and the Wilcoxon signrank test (B) and (D) were used for statistical analyses of unpaired and paired data respectively.