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Impact of KIR/HLA ligand combinations on immune responses in malignant melanoma

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Abstract

Tumor growth and dissemination depend partly on the reactivity of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells expressing NK-associated receptors. Their effector functions are regulated by an array of activating and inhibitory cell surface receptors with MHC class I ligand specificity, such as the killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). Given the extensive genomic diversity of KIRs and their HLA ligands, it is reasonable to speculate that HLA, KIR gene variations and specific KIR-ligand combinations will have an impact on disease susceptibility and/or progression. Here, we discuss how KIR genotypes and KIR/HLA immunogenetic profiles may be involved in tumorigenesis, especially in malignant melanoma (MM). A hypothetical model of the impact of KIR/ligand combinations on immune responses in MM is proposed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by research grants from the ENACT (LSHC-CT-2004-503306) and ESTDAB (QLRT-2000-01325) EC projects. The authors thank professor Graham Pawelec for critical reading of the manuscript and valuable advices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Alexandrovska, 1431, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Elissaveta Naumova, Anastassia Mihaylova, Milena Ivanova & Snejina Mihailova

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  1. Elissaveta Naumova
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  2. Anastassia Mihaylova
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  3. Milena Ivanova
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  4. Snejina Mihailova
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Correspondence to Elissaveta Naumova.

Additional information

This article is a symposium paper from the conference “Progress in Vaccination against Cancer 2005 (PIVAC 5)”, held in Athens, Greece, on 20–21 September 2005.

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Naumova, E., Mihaylova, A., Ivanova, M. et al. Impact of KIR/HLA ligand combinations on immune responses in malignant melanoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 56, 95–100 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-006-0151-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-006-0151-9

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