title: Analysis of the mouse 129-strain Nkrp1-Clr gene cluster reveals conservation of genomic organization and functional receptor-ligand interactions despite significant allelic polymorphism.
abstract: The Nkrp1 (Klrb) family of NK cell receptors and their genetically linked Clr (Clec2) ligands are conserved between rodents and humans. Nonetheless, certain mouse and rat Nkrp1 genes exhibit significant allelic polymorphism between inbred strains. We previously demonstrated that the Nkrp1-Clr recognition system is genetically and functionally conserved between the B6 and BALB/c strains, with focused sequence divergence evident in certain genes (e.g., Nkrp1b,c). Here, we extend this finding by mapping the 129-strain Nkrp1-Clr gene cluster, which is structurally conserved yet displays significant sequence divergence relative to the B6 haplotype. In addition, we show that 129-strain NK cells possess comparable Nkrp1 and Clr transcript expression, and characterize several NKR-P1:Clr interactions that are functionally conserved between the B6 and 129 strains, including documented and novel receptor-ligand pairs. Thus, despite significant allelic polymorphism observed in the Nkrp1-Clr region, the overall genetic organization and functional repertoire appear to be conserved among mouse strains, in contrast to the striking variation observed in the corresponding Ly49 region. These data extend our knowledge of the complex genetically linked Nkrp1-Clr NK recognition system in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bélanger
authors.forename: Oscar A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: St-Laurent
authors.forename: M Munir Ahmad
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rahim
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Makrigiannis
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carlyle
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008024:Ligands; D051379:Mice; D057507:Mice, 129 Strain; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; C527211:Klrb1c protein, mouse; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008024:Ligands; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B