title: Structure and function of natural-killer-cell receptors.
abstract: The function of natural-killer (NK) cells is modulated by the balance between a number of activating and inhibitory receptors. Killer immunoglobulinlike receptors (KIRs) are mostly inhibitory receptors. They play a critical role in recognizing self-class-I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and thus protect healthy host cells from NK-targeted lysis. In contrast, both NKG2D and CD16 are activating NK receptors that trigger the NK-cell lysis of various tumor and virally infected cells through either direct ligand engagement or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Through structural studies of members of these distinct receptor families, in particular, the structure and recognition between KIR2DL2 and HLA-Cw3, that between NKG2D and ULBP3, and that between CD16 and IgG Fc, considerable understandings have been achieved about their function and their ligand recognition.
authors.affiliation: Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. psun@nih.gov
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D054343:Receptors, KIR2DL2; D017634:Self Tolerance; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C515077:KIR2DL2 protein, human; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D054343:Receptors, KIR2DL2