The Yin and Yang of HLA and KIR in Human Disease

Overview

Journal Semin Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2008 Jul 19

PMID 18635379

Citations 187

Authors

Smita Kulkarni

Maureen P Martin

Mary Carrington

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are expressed on natural killer (NK) cells and subsets of T cells. The KIR genes are polymorphic and the KIR gene complex is polygenic with varying numbers of inhibitory and activating receptors. HLA class I molecules serve as ligands for the KIR. Interactions of the independently segregating KIR and HLA loci are important for recognition of targets by NK cells as well as NK cell 'licensing'. Several disease association studies indicate a role for interactions between these loci in infectious diseases, autoimmune/inflammatory disorders, cancer and reproduction. Emerging functional data supports a mechanism based on a continuum of inhibition to activation through various compound KIR-HLA genotypes in diseases.

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