Table 1.
A brief summary of natural killer (NK) cell activating and inhibitory receptors.
| Receptor | Known Ligands | Molecular Structure | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) | HLA-A, Bw, C, G | Immunoglobulin Superfamily | Stimulatory (short cytoplasmic tail) or inhibitory (long cytoplasmic tail) |
| CD16 (FcγRIII) | Fc portion of IgG | Immunoglobulin Superfamily | Stimulatory |
| CD2 receptor family | Immunoglobulin Superfamily | ||
| 2B4 (CD244) | CD48 | Stimulatory | |
| DNAM-1 (CD226) | PVR (CD155) and Nectin-2 (CD112) | Stimulatory | |
| NTB-A | Homophilic | Stimulatory | |
| CS1 (CRACC) | Homophilic | Stimulatory | |
| NKG2 receptor family | C-type lectins | ||
| NKG2D | MICA/B, ULBPs | Stimulatory | |
| CD94/NKG2A | HLA-E | Inhibitory | |
| CD94/NKG2C | HLA-E | Stimulatory | |
| CD94/NKG2E | HLA-E | Stimulatory | |
| Natural Cytotoxicity Receptors (NCRs) | Immunoglobulin Superfamily | ||
| NKp30a/b | B7-H6, BAG6 | Stimulatory | |
| NKp30c | B7-H6, BAG6 | Inhibitory | |
| NKp44 | PCNA | Stimulatory | |
| NKp46 | Vimentin | Stimulatory | |
| NKp80 | AICL | Stimulatory |