Killer Cell Immunoglobulin Like Receptor 2DL1 (KIR2DL1)

The existence of human inhibitory natural killer (NK) cell receptors for MHC class I molecules (now designated killer cell Ig-like receptors, or KIRs), was inferred from the observation that NK cells killed HLA class I-deficient cell lines. Colonna and Samaridis (1995) obtained cDNA for a killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR2DL1), which they termed NKAT1, encoding a deduced 348-amino acid type I transmembrane protein. Sequence analysis revealed a 21-amino acid signal peptide, an extracellular region containing two C2-type Ig-like domains with 5 potential N-linked glycosylation sites, a 19-amino acid hydrophobic transmembrane region, and an 84-amino acid long cytoplasmic domain. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA showed several hybridizing bands suggestive of a family of genes closely related to NKAT1.