Clonal stochasticity in early NK cell response to mouse cytomegalovirus is generated by mature subsets of varying proliferative ability.

Mature NK cell subsets with varying proliferative abilities generate stochastic clonal heterogeneity during early MCMV response, driven by proliferation and cell death dynamics.

• Why it matters: Understanding how NK cell diversity arises during viral infection is crucial for harnessing innate immunity and improving immunotherapies, yet the mechanisms behind NK cell clonal variability remain unclear.
• What they did: The study analyzed endogenous and transferred NK cells during MCMV infection, focusing on proliferation, cell death, and differentiation, and estimated maturation and growth rates of NK cell subsets.
• The result: Findings reveal that intrinsic stochastic fluctuations and differential proliferation of mature NK cell subsets regulate clonal heterogeneity, with increased growth rates, but unchanged differentiation rates, during infection.