Signaling pathways engaged by NK cell receptors: double concerto for activating receptors, inhibitory receptors and NK cells.
Despite the absence of antigen-specific receptors at their surface, NK cells can selectively eliminate virus-infected cells, tumor cells and allogenic cells. A dynamic and precisely coordinated balance between activating and inhibitory receptors governs NK cell activation programs. Multiple activating and inhibitory NK cell surface molecules have been described, a group of them acting as receptors for MHC class I molecules. In spite of their heterogeneity, activating NK cell receptors present remarkable structural and functional homologies with T cell- and B cell-antigen receptors. Inhibitory NK cell receptors operate at early stages of activating cascades by recruiting protein tyrosine phosphatases via intra- cytoplasmic motifs (ITIM), a strategy which is widely conserved in hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells.
Tomasello
E
E
Centre d'Immunologie INSERM/CNRS de Marseille-Luminy Case 906, Institut Universitaire de France, Campus de Luminy, Marseille cedex 09, 13288, France.
Bléry
M
M
Vély
F
F
Vivier
E
E
D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic