Hofer E, Sobanov Y, Brostjan C, Lehrach H, Düchler M
Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Vienna International Research Cooperation Center, University of Vienna, Austria.
Immunol Rev. 2001 Jun;181:5-19. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-065x.2001.1810101.x.
The human natural killer (NK) receptor complex encompasses a region of about 2 Mb on the short arm of chromosome 12. It contains at least 18 lectin-like receptor genes, of which some are expressed in NK and NK/T cells and function as NK receptors. Close to the CD94 and NKG2 NK receptor genes in the centromeric part, a novel family of genes, expressed in myeloid, dendritic and/or endothelial cells, recently became evident. These genes encode a receptor for oxidized low density lipoprotein in endothelial cells and three other receptors potentially serving regulatory functions in dendritic cells. Although the overall structure of the human NK receptor complex is similar to the syntenic rodent regions, the centromeric part lacks the cluster of Ly49 genes. This supports the notion that recognition of MHC class Ia molecules has evolved separately in rodents and humans in the lectin-like Ly49 and the killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, respectively. In the telomeric part, other lectin-like genes expressed in different hematopoietic lineages are found. The receptors of the NK receptor complex apparently serve important functions in several leukocytes and in endothelial cells, and the exact role of these receptors, their ligands, and their distinct and co-ordinate regulation in different cell lineages warrants further investigation.
人类自然杀伤（NK）受体复合体位于12号染色体短臂上一个约2兆碱基的区域。它包含至少18个凝集素样受体基因，其中一些在NK细胞和NK/T细胞中表达并作为NK受体发挥功能。在着丝粒部分靠近CD94和NKG2 NK受体基因的位置，一个在髓样细胞、树突状细胞和/或内皮细胞中表达的新基因家族最近变得明显。这些基因在内皮细胞中编码一种氧化型低密度脂蛋白受体以及另外三种可能在树突状细胞中发挥调节功能的受体。尽管人类NK受体复合体的整体结构与同线的啮齿动物区域相似，但着丝粒部分缺乏Ly49基因簇。这支持了这样一种观点，即啮齿动物和人类分别在凝集素样Ly49和杀伤免疫球蛋白样受体中独立进化出了对MHC I类分子的识别。在端粒部分，发现了在不同造血谱系中表达的其他凝集素样基因。NK受体复合体的受体显然在几种白细胞和内皮细胞中发挥重要功能，这些受体、它们的配体以及它们在不同细胞谱系中独特且协同的调节的确切作用值得进一步研究。
