Table 2.
NK cell receptors.
| Activating receptors | Inhibitory receptors | Chemotatic receptors | Cytokine receptors | Adhesion receptors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mAct.Ly49 | CEACAM-1 | CCR2 | IL-1R | CD2 |
| 2B4 | CD94/NKG2A | CCR5 | IL-2R | DNAM-1 |
| CD16 | mInh.Ly49 | CCR7 | IL-12R | β1 integrins |
| CD84 | hKIR-L | CXCR1 | IL-15R | β2 integrins |
| CD94/NKG2C | KLRG-1 | CXCR3 | IL-18R | |
| CRACC | LAIR-1 | CXCR4 | IL-21R | |
| hKIR-S | hLILRB1 | CXCR6 | IFNAR | |
| Ly9 | mNKR-P1B | CX3CR1 | ||
| NKG2D | mNKR-P1D | hChem23R | ||
| mNKG2D-S | TIGIT | S1P5 | ||
| NKp46 | ||||
| hNKp30 | ||||
| hNKp44 | ||||
| hNKp80 | ||||
| mNKR-P1C | ||||
| NTBA |
NK cells use a wide array of activating and inhibitory receptors which recognize specific ligands expressed by target cells. MHC class I molecules expressed on self cells are engaged by NK cell inhibitory receptors such as Ly49 in mice (mInh.Ly49) and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) in humans (h). In contrast, expression of stress or pathogen-induced ligands, downregulation of MHC class I on target cells as well as transformation-mediated ligand expression are recognized by NK cell activating receptors (Table adapted from Vivier et al., 2011, Science 331, 44–49).