Killer Cell Immunoglobulin Like Receptor 3DL1 (KIR3DL1)

KIR3DL1 encodes a deduced 444-amino acid type I transmembrane protein. Sequence analysis showed that KIR3DL1 has a 21-amino acid signal peptide, an extracellular region containing three C2-type Ig-like domains with 3 potential N-linked glycosylation sites, a 20-amino acid hydrophobic transmembrane region, and an 84-amino acid cytoplasmic domain. Northern blot analysis revealed an approximately 2.0-kb transcript expressed in NK and T cell lines but not in B lymphoblastoid cell lines or in a colon carcinoma cell line (D'Andrea et al, 1995). Dohring et al. (1996) identified a splice variant of NKAT3.KIR3DS1 was expressed on a higher percentage of NK cells in KIR3DS1 homozygous donors compared with heterozygous donors. However, the KIR3DS1 allotype, unlike the inhibitory KIR3DL1, did not recognize HLA-Bw4 on transformed B-cell lines.