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Review
. 2019 Apr;156(4):319-328.
doi: 10.1111/imm.13039. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Conserved and variable natural killer cell receptors: diverse approaches to viral infections

Leidy Y Bastidas-Legarda  1 , Salim I Khakoo  1
Affiliations
Review

Conserved and variable natural killer cell receptors: diverse approaches to viral infections

Leidy Y Bastidas-Legarda et al. Immunology. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system with essential roles during viral infections. NK cell functions are mediated through a repertoire of non-rearranging inhibitory and activating receptors that interact with major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide complexes on the surface of infected cells. Recent work studying the conserved CD94-NKG2A and variable killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor-MHC systems suggest that these two receptor families may have subtly different properties in terms of interactions with MHC class I bound peptides, and in recognition of down-regulation of MHC class I. In this review, we discuss how these properties generate diversity in the NK cell response to viruses.

Keywords: conserved; natural killer cells; polymorphic; receptor-ligand; viral infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Activating and inhibitory natural killer (NK) cell receptors and their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I ligands. Shown are the different interactions between the killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIR) and CD94:NKG2 family of receptors and their MHC class I ligands. LILRB1 interacts with folded HLA class I molecules, HLA‐F and HLA‐G. KIR2DL4 is thought to interact with HLA‐G through an endosomal compartment. HLA‐F binds as an open conformer to KIR3DS1, KIR2DS4 and KIR3DL2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of how changes in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression and presentation of peptides differentially affect CD94:NKG2 and killer cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor (KIR) interactions with MHC class I. Variations in MHC class I levels have more profound effects on inhibition through CD94:NKG2A than through inhibitory KIR whereas changes in the peptide content of MHC class I are more likely to lead through activation of natural killer (NK) cells expressing KIR.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of DNA and RNA viruses on polymorphic and non‐polymorphic MHC class I molecules, demonstrating their potential for engagement of activating or inhibitory natural killer (NK) cell receptors. KIR3DS1 and KIR3DL2 are polymorphic, but bind the open conformer of HLA‐F, which is up‐regulated by both human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). KIR2DS2 interacts with complexes formed by HLA‐C and flaviviruses or HCV‐derived peptides.
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