Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Cancer Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2010 Dec 3;5(12):e15184. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015184.
The CD94 transmembrane-anchored glycoprotein forms disulfide-bonded heterodimers with the NKG2A subunit to form an inhibitory receptor or with the NKG2C or NKG2E subunits to assemble a receptor complex with activating DAP12 signaling proteins. CD94 receptors expressed on human and mouse NK cells and T cells have been proposed to be important in NK cell tolerance to self, play an important role in NK cell development, and contribute to NK cell-mediated immunity to certain infections including human cytomegalovirus. We generated a gene-targeted CD94-deficient mouse to understand the role of CD94 receptors in NK cell biology. CD94-deficient NK cells develop normally and efficiently kill NK cell-susceptible targets. Lack of these CD94 receptors does not alter control of mouse cytomegalovirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, vaccinia virus, or Listeria monocytogenes. Thus, the expression of CD94 and its associated NKG2A, NKG2C, and NKG2E subunits is dispensable for NK cell development, education, and many NK cell functions.
CD94 跨膜锚定糖蛋白与 NKG2A 亚基形成二硫键异源二聚体，形成抑制性受体，或与 NKG2C 或 NKG2E 亚基形成具有激活 DAP12 信号蛋白的受体复合物。在人和小鼠 NK 细胞和 T 细胞上表达的 CD94 受体被认为在 NK 细胞对自身的耐受中很重要，在 NK 细胞发育中起重要作用，并有助于 NK 细胞对某些感染（包括人类巨细胞病毒）的免疫。我们生成了一个基因靶向的 CD94 缺陷型小鼠，以了解 CD94 受体在 NK 细胞生物学中的作用。CD94 缺陷型 NK 细胞正常发育并有效地杀伤 NK 细胞敏感的靶细胞。缺乏这些 CD94 受体不会改变对小鼠巨细胞病毒、淋巴细胞性脉络丛脑膜炎病毒、牛痘病毒或李斯特菌的控制。因此，CD94 的表达及其相关的 NKG2A、NKG2C 和 NKG2E 亚基对于 NK 细胞的发育、教育和许多 NK 细胞功能是可有可无的。
