Membrane potential of aortic endothelial cells under resting conditions is dominated by inward-rectifier K(+) channels belonging to the Kir 2 family. Regulation of endothelial Kir by membrane cholesterol was studied in bovine aortic endothelial cells by altering the sterol composition of the cell membrane. Our results show that enriching the cells with cholesterol decreases the Kir current dens...

Abstract The Drug Resistance Educational Program (PROERD) is Brazil’s most widespread school-based prevention program; its current curriculum based on the North American Keepin’ it REAL (kiR) program. There no evidence of effectiveness PROERD in preventing drug use, pointing to need for further studies understand these findings. aim study was synthesis effect kiR through a systematic review. We...

Interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands influence development of natural killer (NK) cell repertoire and response to infection, cancer, and allogeneic tissue. As KIRs and HLA class I molecules are highly polymorphic, clinical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is predicted to frequently involve KIR mismatch, a...

BACKGROUND Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive autoinflammatory disease predominantly affecting Mediterranean populations. The gene associated with FMF is the MEFV gene, which encodes for a protein called pyrin. Mutations of pyrin lead to uncontrolled attacks of inflammation, and subclinical inflammation continues during attack-free intervals. Killer cell immunoglobulin...

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) inhibit the cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells by recruitment of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 to immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM) sequences in the KIR cytoplasmic tail [1]. The precise steps in the NK activation pathway that are inhibited by KIR are yet to be defined. Here, we have studied whether the initial st...

Inwardly rectifying potassium channels (Kir) are a special subset of potassium selective ion channels which pass potassium more easily into rather than out of the cell. These channels mediate a variety of cellular functions, including control of membrane resting potential, maintenance of potassium homeostasis and regulation of cellular metabolism. Given the existence of fifteen Kir genes in mam...

BACKGROUND The impact of HLA and KIR ligand mismatching on the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains unclear. Previous reports have identified considerable ethnic differences in the impact of HLA and KIR ligand mismatches, as well as KIR ligand status, on HSCT; however, to date, no data has been acquired in Korean adult patients. METHODS We investigated the associa...

Natural Killer (NK) cells are the third population of lymphocyte in the mononuclear cell compartment that triggers first-line of defense against viral infection and tumor transformation. Historically, NK cells were thought of as components of innate immunity based on their intrinsic ability to spontaneously kill target cells independent of HLA antigen restriction. However, it is now clear that ...

OBJECTIVES Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by persistent synovitis, ultimately leading to cartilage and bone degeneration. Natural Killer cells and CD28 null T-cells are suspected as role players in RA pathogenesis. These cells are similar in feature and function, as they both exert their cytotoxic effect via Killer Cell Immunoglobulin- Like Receptors ...

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) recognition of specific human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I allotypes contributes to the array of receptor-ligand interactions that determine natural killer (NK) cell response to its target. Contrasting genetic effects of KIR/HLA combinations have been observed in infectious and autoimmune diseases, where genotypes associated with N...