Natural killer cells in the Irish : investigating receptor expression and potential role in psoriasis

Abstract

NK cells are granular lymphocytes which act as part of the innate immune system. Their activity is controlled through a balance of signals from inhibitory and activating receptors, with one important family of receptors being the killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). The KIR comprise a highly polymorphic, multi-gene family of receptors whose identified ligands belong to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I family of molecules. Phenotype expression of these important receptors is variable but the factors underlying this variability are not yet fully elucidated.