Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcomes. A review of the literature

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of cytotoxic lymphocytes that have an important role in innate immunity. These cells are equipped with a number of surface receptors, inhibitory, activating, or both, that control their activity. A major group of these regulatory receptors is called the Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs) which have been studied in numerous diseases. One of the most important aspects of KIR genotyping is its association with bone marrow transplantation outcomes; however, studies have not been conclusive in this regard. This is the first review article in the literature that reports on the association of KIR genotype with outcome of hematopoietic peripheral blood bone marrow stem cell transplantation using a four dimensional level of analysis based on the variable cellular interaction modalities of the KIR receptors: the ligand-ligand model, the missing-ligand model, the receptor-ligand model, and the haplotype model.