Co-evolution of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors with HLA-C to Become The Major Variable Regulators of Human NK cells

摘要

Interactions between HLA class I and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) diversify human NK cell responses. Dominant KIR ligands are the C1 and C2 epitopes of MHC-C, a young locus restricted to humans and great apes. C1 and C1-specific KIR evolved first, being present in orangutan and functionally like their human counterparts. Orangutans lack C2 and C2-specific KIR, but have a unique C1+C2 specific KIR that binds equally to C1 and C2. Such a receptor was likely the mechanism by which C2-KIR interaction evolved from C1-KIR while avoiding a non-functional intermediate: either orphan receptor or ligand. Orangutan inhibitory MHC-C reactive KIR pair with activating receptors of identical avidity and specificity, contrasting with the selective attenuation of human activating KIR. The orangutan C1-specific KIR reacts or cross-reacts with all four polymorphic epitopes (C1, C2, Bw4, and A3/11) recognized by human KIR, revealing their structural commonality. Saturation mutagenesis at specificity-determining position 44, demonstrates that KIR are inherently restricted to binding just these four epitopes, either individually or in combination. This restriction frees the majority of HLA-A and –B variants to be dedicated T-cell receptor ligands, not subject to conflicting pressures from the NK cell and T cell arms of the immune response.