Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Penman BS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5056949 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Penman Bridget S BS Moffett Ashley A Chazara Olympe O Gupta Sunetra S Parham Peter P
Immunogenetics 20160812 10
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are encoded by one of the most polymorphic families in the human genome. KIRs are expressed on natural killer (NK) cells, which have dual roles: (1) in fighting infection and (2) in reproduction, regulating hemochorial placentation. Uniquely among primates, human KIR genes are arranged into two haplotypic combinations: KIR A and KIR B. It has been proposed that KIR A is specialized to fight infection, whilst KIR B evolved to help ensure successful ...[more]