Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Expression on Single Cells: a Cautionary Note

Overview

Journal Immunology

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2003 Nov 25

PMID 14632638

Authors

Britta Radeloff

Katja Laun

Maja Zirra

Armin Volz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells keep the surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules under surveillance using killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). Virus-infected or aberrant cells are frequently characterized by a reduced surface expression of MHC class I antigens and may therefore be removed by cytolysis. NK cells are heterogeneous with regard to the expression of KIR genes. The resulting subpopulations show distinguishable specificities allowing the recognition of cells lacking varying combinations of MHC class I antigens. The KIR expression pattern in single NK cells has previously been analyzed by Husain and colleagues by cDNA preamplification of CD3- CD56+ single cells and subsequent gene-specific polymerase chain reaction. We show here that the data of this study contain inconsistencies. These inconsistencies are discussed in the context of KIR mRNA abundance and single-cell cDNA amplification efficiency.

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