Human natural killer cells with polyclonal lectin and immunoglobulinlike receptors develop from single hematopoietic stem cells with preferential expression of NKG2A and KIR2DL2/L3/S2

The protein HLA-E is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule of limited sequence variability. Its expression on the cell surface is regulated by the binding of peptides derived from the signal sequence of some other MHC class I molecules. Here we report the identification of ligands for HLA-E. We constructed tetramers in which recombinant HLA-E and beta2-microglobulin were refolded with an MHC leader-sequence peptide, biotinylated, and conjugated to phycoerythrin-labelled Extravidin. This HLA-E tetramer bound to natural killer (NK) cells and a small subset of T cells from peripheral blood. On transfectants, the tetramer bound to the CD94/NKG2A, CD94/NKGK2B and CD94/NKG2C NK cell receptors, but did not bind to the immunoglobulin family of NK cell receptors (KIR). Surface expression of HLA-E was enough to protect target cells from lysis by CD94/NKG2A+ NK-cell clones. A subset of HLA class I alleles has been shown to inhibit killing by CD94/NKG2A+ NK-cell clones. Only the HLA alleles that possess a leader peptide capable of upregulating HLA-E surface expression confer resistance to NK-cell-mediated lysis, implying that their action is mediated by HLA-E, the predominant ligand for the NK cell inhibitory receptor CD94/NKG2A.

Immunology Today, 11, 237-244

The presence and expression of killer inhibitory receptor (KIR) and CD94:NKG2 genes from 68 donors were analyzed using molecular typing techniques. The genes encoding CD94:NKG2 receptors were present in each person, but KIR gene possession varied. Most individuals expressed inhibitory KIR for the three well-defined HLA-B and -C ligands, but noninhibitory KIR genes were more variable. Twenty different KIR phenotypes were defined. Two groups of KIR haplotypes were distinguished and occurred at relatively even frequency. Group A KIR haplotypes consist of six genes: the main inhibitory KIR, one noninhibitory KIR, and a structurally divergent KIR. Allelic polymorphism within five KIR genes was detected. Group B comprises more noninhibitory KIR genes and contains at least one additional gene not represented in group A. The KIR locus therefore appears to be polygenic and polymorphic within the human population.