Natural killer (NK) cells possess effector and immunoregulatory functions that are controlled by a myriad of receptor-ligand pairs, including human killer inhibitory receptor (KIR) and mouse Ly49-MHC class I interactions. We have recently shown that the NK cell inhibitory molecule Ly49A binds the non-classical MHC molecule H2-M3, thus regulating host innate immune responses to tumor initiation ...

Potassium (K+) channels are highly selective for K+ ions but their unitary conductances are quite divergent. Although Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 are highly homologous and both form functional K+ channels with sulfonylurea receptors, their unitary conductances measured with 150 mM extracellular K+ are approximately 35 and 80 pS, respectively. We found that a chain of three amino acid residues N123-V124-R...

background: pattern recognition receptors (prrs) are the main sensors of pathogen and danger signals in innate immunity of which toll like receptors (tlrs) are the most studied ones. the contribution of prrs in cerebral inflammation induced by microbial infection, tissue damage and cancer has not extensively been addressed so far. glioma is the most common tumor of the central nervous system an...

The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6 encodes three classical class I genes: human leukocyte antigen-A (HLA-A), HLA-B, and HLA-C. These polymorphic genes encode a 43- to 45-kDa cell surface glycoprotein that, in association with the 12-kDa β2-microglobulin molecule, functions in the presentation of nine amino acid peptides to the T cell receptor of CD8-bearing T lymph...

Expression of the activating CD94/NKG2C killer lectin-like receptor (KLR) specific for HLA-E was analyzed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from healthy adult blood donors; the expression of other natural killer (NK) cell receptors (ie, CD94/NKG2A, KIR, CD85j, CD161, NKp46, NKp30, and NKG2D) was also studied. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection as well as the HLA-E and killer immunoglob...