title: Natural killer cell receptors.
abstract: In killing of cellular targets, natural killer cells employ receptors that activate them and receptors specific for MHC class I that inhibit their activation. Progress in understanding the inhibitory receptors has been rapid, and indications are that they fall into two distinct structural types that appear to utilize the same inhibitory signaling cascade; meanwhile, components of the activation cascade are being elucidated, permitting us to integrate the pathways involved.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rheumatology Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. yokoyama@imgate.wustl.edu
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000502:physiology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000737:chemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008024:Ligands; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D005810:Multigene Family; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D008024:Ligands; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D002118:Calcium