Rac1/ROCK-driven membrane dynamics promote natural killer cell cytotoxicity via granzyme-induced necroptosis

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in cancer immunosurveillance and therapy. However, the target selectivity of NK cell activity is still poorly understood. RESULTS: Here, we used live-cell reporters to unravel differential epithelial cancer target killing by primary human NK cells. We found highly variable fractions of killing by distinct NK cell cytotoxic modes that were not determined by NK ligand expression. Rather, epithelial plasma membrane dynamics driven by ROCK-mediated blebs and/or Rac1-mediated lamellipodia promoted necrotic mode in preference to the apoptotic mode of killing. Inhibition of granzyme B and key necroptosis regulators RIP1, RIP3, and MLKL significantly attenuated the necrotic killing, revealing a novel NK cell cytotoxic pathway by granzyme-induced necroptosis that conferred target selectivity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results not only elucidate a new NK cell effector mechanism but also suggest that tissue microenvironment and oncogenic signaling pathways that promote membrane dynamics, e.g., Rac1 and Rho/ROCK, could be exploited to enhance proinflammatory NK cell killing. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01068-3.