Evolution of NK receptors: a single Ly49 and multiple KIR genes in the cow

Abstract Acute lymphoblastic leukemia of pre-B cells (pre-B ALL) is the most frequent form of leukemia affecting children in Western countries. Evidence is accumulating that genetic factors play an important role in conferring susceptibility/resistance to leukemia in children. In this regard, activating killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes are of particular interest. Humans may inherit different numbers of the 6 distinct activating KIR genes. Little is known about the impact of this genetic variation on the innate susceptibility or resistance of humans to the development of B-ALL. We addressed this issue by performing a case-control study in Canadian children of white origin. Our results show that harboring activating KIR genes is associated with reduced risk for developing B-ALL in these children. Of the 6 activating KIR genes, KIR2DS2 was maximally associated with decreased risk for the disease (P = 1.14 × 10−7). Furthermore, our results showed that inheritance of a higher number of activating KIR genes was associated with significant reductions in risk for ALL in children. These results were also consistent across different ALL phenotypes, which included children with pre-T cell ALL. Our study provides novel insights concerning the pathogenesis of childhood leukemia in white children and has implications for the development of new immunotherapies for this cancer.

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Characterisation of B killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes and telomeric and centromeric motifs in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation donors in Vojvodina, Serbia

Genetika ◽

10.2298/gensr1701345a ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 345-354

Author(s):

Dusica Ademovic-Sazdanic ◽

Svetlana Vojvodic ◽

S. Popovic ◽

N. Konstantinidis

Keyword(s):

Relapse Prevention ◽

Hematological Malignancies ◽

Killer Cell ◽

Simple Algorithm ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Graft Versus Host ◽

Kir Genes ◽

Graft Versus Leukemia ◽

Kir Gene ◽

Kir Genotypes

The outcome of HSCT is strongly in?uenced by the genetic similarity or identity in the HLA genes that affects the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Successful allogeneic HSCT, however, depends also on T-cell mediated graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect, in which donor-derived T cells and natural killer (NK) cells kill these malignant cells in the patient, therefore playing a crucial role in relapse prevention. The aim of this study was to make the predictive analysis of the structure and distribution of B KIR alleles and centromeric and telomeric KIR genotypes in HSCT donors in Vojvodina with regard to their contribution to protection from relapse. A total of 124 first-degree relatives of patients with hematological malignancies were examined for the presence or absence of 15 KIR genes by using of PCR-SSO technique with Luminex xMap technology. The percentage of individuals carrying each KIR gene, centromeric and telomeric KIR haplotypes and genotypes was determined by direct counting. Sixty two percent of the HSCT donors in Vojvodina carry A KIR haplotype, while nearly 38% carry B KIR haplotype. The distribution of B KIR genes showed that among 124 studied HSCT donors, 31(25%) do not carry none of the KIR genes belonging to B group, 71.77% of donors have two or more B KIR genes, 61.29% of them carry KIR 2DL2 and 2DS2 or more B KIR genes. The analysis of centromeric and telomeric KIR genotypes, showed that Cen-A1/Tel-A1 genotype had a highest frequency of 51.47% and Cen-B2/Tel-B1 the lowest frequency of 1.30%. The usage of donor KIR B gene content and centromeric and telomeric KIR gene structure could be used in development of a simple algorithm to identify donors who will provide the most protection against the relapse in related HSC transplants.

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