Role of a NK receptor, KLRE-1, in bone marrow allograft rejection: analysis with KLRE-1-deficient mice.
Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in the immune reaction during the bone marrow allograft rejection. Little is known, however, about the molecular mechanisms underlying the NK cell-mediated allograft recognition and rejection. In this report, we assessed the role of a recently identified NK receptor, killer cell lectinlike receptor 1 (KLRE-1), by generating knock-out mice. KLRE-1-deficient mice were born at an expected frequency and showed no aberrant phenotype on growth and lymphoid development. Nevertheless, KLRE-1-deficient cells showed a severely compromised allogeneic cytotoxic activity compared with the wild-type cells. Furthermore, allogeneic bone marrow transfer culminated in colony formation in the spleen of KLRE-1-deficient mice, whereas no colony formation was observed in wild-type recipient mice. These results demonstrate that KLRE-1 is a receptor mediating recognition and rejection of allogeneic target cells in the host immune system.
Shimizu
Eiko
E
Department of Molecular Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
Koike
Junzo
J
Wakao
Hiroshi
H
Seino
Ken-Ichiro
K
Koseki
Haruhiko
H
Kakiuchi
Terutaka
T
Nakayama
Toshinori
T
Taniguchi
Masaru
M
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017931:DNA Primers; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018039:Receptors, Tachykinin / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D017931:DNA Primers; C488776:Klre1 protein, mouse; D018039:Receptors, Tachykinin