KLRC4

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that can mediate lysis of certain tumor cells and virus-infected cells without previous activation. They can also regulate specific humoral and cell-mediated immunity. NK cells preferentially express several calcium-dependent (C-type) lectins, which have been implicated in the regulation of NK cell function. This gene is a member of the NKG2 group of genes that are expressed primarily in natural killer (NK) cells. These family members encode transmembrane proteins that are characterized by a type II membrane orientation (have an extracellular C-terminus) and the presence of a C-type lectin domain. This family member is located within the NK complex, a region that contains several C-type lectin genes preferentially expressed in NK cells. Read-through transcription exists between this gene and the downstream KLRK1 (killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily K, member 1) family member. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2010]

自然杀伤（NK）细胞为一种无需预先激活即可介导特定肿瘤细胞及病毒感染细胞裂解的淋巴细胞。此外，它们亦能调节特定的体液及细胞介导的免疫反应。NK细胞优先表达数种钙依赖性（C型）凝集素，这些凝集素与NK细胞功能的调控密切相关。该基因属于NKG2基因家族，该家族基因主要在自然杀伤（NK）细胞中表达。这些家族成员编码具有II型膜取向（具有细胞外C端）和C型凝集素结构域的跨膜蛋白。本家族成员定位于NK复合体内部，该区域富含NK细胞中优先表达的C型凝集素基因。该基因与下游的KLRK1（杀伤细胞凝集素样受体亚家族K，成员1）家族成员之间存在读通转录现象。[资料来源：RefSeq，2010年12月]