KLRG1
Description
The KLRG1 (killer cell lectin like receptor G1) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 12.
KLRG1 is a protein encoded by the KLRG1 gene in humans. It belongs to the killer cell lectin-like receptor (KLR) family, which are transmembrane proteins primarily expressed in NK cells. KLRG1 acts as a co-inhibitory receptor, primarily expressed on late-differentiated effector and effector memory CD8+ T cells and NK cells. It binds to E-cadherin and N-cadherin, markers of epithelial and mesenchymal cells, respectively. Similar to other co-inhibitory receptors (e.g., CTLA-4, PD-1), KLRG1 is involved in immune regulation. Unlike CTLA-4 and PD-1 knockout mice, KLRG1 knockout mice initially showed no abnormalities but later displayed enhanced immunity in a tuberculosis challenge model. KLRG1 is often considered a 'senescent' marker, contrasting with other co-inhibitory receptors that are considered 'exhaustion' markers, leading to less research on this molecule.
KLRG1 acts as an inhibitory receptor on NK cells and T cells, suppressing their activity upon binding to non-MHC ligands. It plays a role in 'missing self' recognition by interacting with a conserved site on classical cadherins, allowing it to monitor the expression of E-cadherin (CDH1), N-cadherin (CDH2), and R-cadherin (CDH4) on target cells.
KLRG1 is also known as 2F1, CLEC15A, MAFA, MAFA-2F1, MAFA-L, MAFA-LIKE.
