Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53114 Wroclaw, Poland.
Department of Biosensors and Processing of Biomedical Signals, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 41800 Zabrze, Poland.
Cells. 2021 Jun 7;10(6):1420. doi: 10.3390/cells10061420.
Natural Killer (NK) cells are natural cytotoxic, effector cells of the innate immune system. They can recognize transformed or infected cells. NK cells are armed with a set of activating and inhibitory receptors which are able to bind to their ligands on target cells. The right balance between expression and activation of those receptors is fundamental for the proper functionality of NK cells. One of the best known activating receptors is NKG2D, a member of the CD94/NKG2 family. Due to a specific NKG2D binding with its eight different ligands, which are overexpressed in transformed, infected and stressed cells, NK cells are able to recognize and attack their targets. The NKG2D receptor has an enormous significance in various, autoimmune diseases, viral and bacterial infections as well as for transplantation outcomes and complications. This review focuses on the NKG2D receptor, the mechanism of its action, clinical relevance of its gene polymorphisms and a potential application in various clinical settings.
自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞是先天免疫系统的天然细胞毒性效应细胞。它们能够识别转化或感染的细胞。NK 细胞配备了一系列激活和抑制受体，这些受体能够与靶细胞上的配体结合。这些受体的表达和激活之间的适当平衡对于 NK 细胞的正常功能至关重要。最著名的激活受体之一是 NKG2D，它是 CD94/NKG2 家族的成员。由于 NKG2D 与在转化、感染和应激细胞中过度表达的其八个不同配体具有特异性结合，因此 NK 细胞能够识别并攻击其靶标。NKG2D 受体在各种自身免疫性疾病、病毒和细菌感染以及移植结果和并发症中具有重要意义。本综述重点介绍了 NKG2D 受体、其作用机制、基因多态性的临床相关性以及在各种临床环境中的潜在应用。
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