Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to immunity and reproduction. Guiding these functions, and NK cell education, are killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR), NK cell receptors that recognize HLA class I. In most human populations, these highly polymorphic receptors and ligands combine with extraordinary diversity. To assess how much of this diversity is necessary, we studied KIR and HLA class I a...

For the 23rd KIR Exchange, 4 DNA samples (KDNA#89-92) were shipped to each laboratory on August 4, 2010. Sixty-one laboratories submitted their KIR typing results. The majority of the laboratories used either commercial or in-house developed sequence-specific primer (SSP) based PCR typing systems, and others used sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing (SSOP) method. The results for the 23rd ...

Strongly inwardly rectifying potassium channels of the Kir 2 subfamily (IRK1, IRK2, and IRK3) are involved in maintenance and modulation of cell excitability in brain and heart. Electrophysiological studies of channels expressed in heterologous systems have suggested that the pore-conducting pathway contains four subunits. However, inferences from electrophysiological studies have not been test...

Human antibody response to measles vaccine is highly variable in the population. Host genes contribute to inter-individual antibody response variation. The killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are recognized to interact with HLA molecules and possibly influence humoral immune response to viral antigens. To expand on and improve our previous work with HLA genes, and to explore the gen...

Drug-induced ion channel trafficking disturbance can cause cardiac arrhythmias. The subcellular level at which drugs interfere in trafficking pathways is largely unknown. KIR 2.1 inward rectifier channels, largely responsible for the cardiac inward rectifier current (IK1 ), are degraded in lysosomes. Amiodarone and dronedarone are class III antiarrhythmics. Chronic use of amiodarone, and to a l...

The inhibitory receptors for MHC class I have a central role in controlling natural killer (NK) cell activity. Soon after their discovery, it was found that these receptors have a degree of peptide selectivity. Such peptide selectivity has been demonstrated for all inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) tested to date, certain activating KIR, and also members of the C-type le...

BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cells express killer immunoglobulin-like (KIR) inhibitory receptors, which recognize certain HLA class I molecules (KIR ligands), and stimulatory receptors such as FcgammaRIII. The purpose of this study was to test the possible influence of inhibitory KIR signaling on antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by allogeneic NK cells against breast cancer...

Interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their HLA-A, -B, and -C ligands diversify the functions of human natural killer cells. Consequently, combinations of KIR and HLA genotypes affect resistance to infection and autoimmunity, success of reproduction and outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation. HLA-C, with its C1 and C2 epitopes, evolved in hominids to be spe...