KIR2DS3 Antibody

Background:

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) aretransmembrane glycoproteins expressed by natural killer cells andsubsets of T cells. The KIR genes are polymorphic and highlyhomologous and they are found in a cluster on chromosome 19q13.4within the 1 Mb leukocyte receptor complex (LRC). The gene contentof the KIR gene cluster varies among haplotypes, although several'framework' genes are found in all haplotypes (KIR3DL3, KIR3DP1,KIR3DL4, KIR3DL2). The KIR proteins are classified by the number ofextracellular immunoglobulin domains (2D or 3D) and by whether theyhave a long (L) or short (S) cytoplasmic domain. KIR proteins withthe long cytoplasmic domain transduce inhibitory signals uponligand binding via an immune tyrosine-based inhibitory motif(ITIM), while KIR proteins with the short cytoplasmic domain lackthe ITIM motif and instead associate with the TYRO protein tyrosinekinase binding protein to transduce activating signals. The ligandsfor several KIR proteins are subsets of HLA class I molecules;thus, KIR proteins are thought to play an important role inregulation of the immune response.