Natural killer cell receptors and human cytomegalovirus infection

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus(HCMV)infection is quite prevalent in population.HCMV triggers important disorders in pregnant women, immune-compromised individuals and organ-transplant patients.For decades, more and more scholars believe that NK cells are important immune cells against HCMV.The activity of NK cells largely depends on the balance between the signals transducted by inhibitory receptors and activatory receptors, therefore the study of NK receptors is of great importance.It may be helpful to the basic research and clinical treatment of HCMV infection.Here, this paper reviews the changes and the molecular mechanism of NK receptors in the control of HCMV infection. Key words: Human cytomegalovirus; Natural killer cell; Receptors; NKG2A; NKG2C; NKG2D