Biology:KIR2DL4

Short description: Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Generic protein structure example

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 2DL4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KIR2DL4 gene.

Function

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are transmembrane glycoproteins expressed by natural killer cells and subsets of CD8+ T cells. The KIR genes are polymorphic and highly homologous and they are found in a cluster on chromosome 19q13.4 within the 1 Mb leukocyte receptor complex (LRC). The gene content of the KIR gene cluster varies among haplotypes, although several "framework" genes are found in all haplotypes (KIR3DL3, KIR3DP1, KIR2DL4, KIR3DL2). The KIR proteins are classified by the number of extracellular immunoglobulin domains (2D or 3D) and by whether they have a long (L) or short (S) cytoplasmic domain. KIR proteins with the long cytoplasmic domain transduce inhibitory signals upon ligand binding via an immune tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM), while KIR proteins with the short cytoplasmic domain lack the ITIM motif and instead associate with the TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein to transduce activating signals. The ligands for several KIR proteins are subsets of HLA class I molecules; thus, KIR proteins are thought to play an important role in regulation of the immune response. This gene is one of the "framework" loci that is present on all haplotypes. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.

The only so far reported ligand of KIR2DL4 is the non-classical HLA class 1 gene HLA-G, leading to the inhibition of the cytolytic NK cell function.

See also

• Cluster of differentiation

Further reading

• "Polymorphism and domain variability of human killer cell inhibitory receptors". Immunol. Rev. 155: 183–96. 1997. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.1997.tb00951.x. PMID 9059894. 
• "Genomic organization and allelic polymorphism of the human killer cell inhibitory receptor gene KIR103". Tissue Antigens 49 (6): 564–73. 1997. doi:10.1111/j.1399-0039.1997.tb02803.x. PMID 9234477. 
• "Functionally and structurally distinct NK cell receptor repertoires in the peripheral blood of two human donors". Immunity 7 (6): 739–51. 1997. doi:10.1016/S1074-7613(00)80393-3. PMID 9430220. 
• "Human diversity in killer cell inhibitory receptor genes". Immunity 7 (6): 753–63. 1997. doi:10.1016/S1074-7613(00)80394-5. PMID 9430221. 
• "A human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G-specific receptor expressed on all natural killer cells". J. Exp. Med. 189 (7): 1093–100. 1999. doi:10.1084/jem.189.7.1093. PMID 10190900. 
• "Identification of seventeen novel KIR variants: fourteen of them from two non-Caucasian donors". Tissue Antigens 57 (1): 22–31. 2001. doi:10.1034/j.1399-0039.2001.057001022.x. PMID 11169255. 
• "Cutting edge: induction of IFN-gamma production but not cytotoxicity by the killer cell Ig-like receptor KIR2DL4 (CD158d) in resting NK cells". J. Immunol. 167 (4): 1877–81. 2001. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.167.4.1877. PMID 11489965. 
• "Alleles of the KIR2DL4 receptor and their lack of association with pre-eclampsia". Eur. J. Immunol. 32 (1): 18–29. 2002. doi:10.1002/1521-4141(200201)32:1<18::AID-IMMU18>3.0.CO;2-7. PMID 11754000. 
• "SHP-1- and phosphotyrosine-independent inhibitory signaling by a killer cell Ig-like receptor cytoplasmic domain in human NK cells". J. Immunol. 168 (10): 5047–57. 2002. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.168.10.5047. PMID 11994457. http://www.jimmunol.org/content/jimmunol/168/10/5047.full.pdf. 
• "KIR2DL4 (CD158d), an NK cell-activating receptor with inhibitory potential". J. Immunol. 168 (12): 6208–14. 2002. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.168.12.6208. PMID 12055234. 
• "Crucial role of DNA methylation in determination of clonally distributed killer cell Ig-like receptor expression patterns in NK cells". J. Immunol. 169 (8): 4253–61. 2002. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.169.8.4253. PMID 12370356. 
• "DNA methylation maintains allele-specific KIR gene expression in human natural killer cells". J. Exp. Med. 197 (2): 245–55. 2003. doi:10.1084/jem.20021127. PMID 12538663. 
• "Assessment of killer cell immunoglobulinlike receptor expression and corresponding HLA class I phenotypes demonstrates heterogenous KIR expression independent of anticipated HLA class I ligands". Hum. Immunol. 64 (2): 183–93. 2003. doi:10.1016/S0198-8859(02)00802-9. PMID 12559621. 
• "Recognition of HLA-G by the NK cell receptor KIR2DL4 is not essential for human reproduction". Eur. J. Immunol. 33 (3): 639–44. 2003. doi:10.1002/eji.200323741. PMID 12616484. 
• "Different and divergent regulation of the KIR2DL4 and KIR3DL1 promoters". J. Immunol. 170 (12): 6073–81. 2003. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.170.12.6073. PMID 12794136. 
• "Multiple copies of KIR 3DL/S1 and KIR 2DL4 genes identified in a number of individuals". Hum. Immunol. 64 (7): 729–32. 2003. doi:10.1016/S0198-8859(03)00089-2. PMID 12826375. 
• "KIR2DL4 (CD158d) genotype influences expression and function in NK cells". J. Immunol. 171 (4): 1768–74. 2003. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.171.4.1768. PMID 12902476. 

External links

• PDBe-KB provides an overview of all the structure information available in the PDB for Human Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 2DL4 (KIR2DL4)

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.