Conventional NK cells and ILC1 are partially ablated in the livers of Ncr1 (iCre)Tbx21 (fl/fl) mice

Mouse liver contains both Eomes-dependent conventional natural killer (cNK) cells and Tbet-dependent liver-resident type I innate lymphoid cells (ILC1). In order to better understand the role of ILC1, we attempted to generate mice that would lack liver ILC1, while retaining cNK, by conditional deletion of Tbet in NKp46+ cells. Here we report that the Ncr1 (iCre)Tbx21 (fl/fl) mouse has a roughly equivalent reduction in both the cNK and ILC1 compartments of the liver, limiting its utility for investigating the relative contributions of these two cell types in disease models. We also describe the phenotype of these mice with respect to NK cells, ILC1 and NKp46 (+) ILC3 in the spleen and small intestine lamina propria.