Regulation of KIR expression in human T cells: a safety mechanism that may impair protective T-cell responses

✍ Scribed by Maria Cristina Mingari; Alessandro Moretta; Lorenzo Moretta

• Book ID: 104298758
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 151 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-5699
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-5699(97)01236-x

✦ Synopsis

Killer-cell inhibitory receptors (KIRs) are a new family of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-specific receptors. KIRs allow natural killer cells to identify and lyse self cells that do not express sufficient amounts of MHC class I molecules. Here, Maria Cristina Mingari and colleagues view the expression of KIRs by cytolytic T lymphocytes and their regulation by certain cytokines as a double-edged sword.