Non-classical major histocompatibility complex proteins as determinants of tumour immunosurveillance

EMBO Rep. 2007 Nov;8(11):1024-30. doi: 10.1038/sj.embor.7401090.

Abstract

Tumours develop in vertebrate organisms endowed with immune systems that are potentially able to eradicate them. Nevertheless, our ever-increasing understanding of the complex interactions between lymphocytes and tumour cells fuels the long-standing hope of developing efficient immunotherapies against cancer. This review focuses on a versatile family of proteins, the major histocompatibility complex class Ib, which has been recently implicated in both the establishment of anti-tumour immune responses and in tumour immune response evasion. We focus on a subset of class Ib proteins, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G, Qa-2, CD1d and NKG2D ligands, which bind to either stimulatory or inhibitory receptors expressed on T, natural killer (NK) and NKT lymphocytes, and thereby modulate their anti-tumour activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigen Presentation
  • Antigens, CD1 / immunology
  • Antigens, CD1d
  • HLA Antigens / immunology*
  • HLA-G Antigens
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
  • Lipids / immunology
  • Major Histocompatibility Complex*
  • Monitoring, Immunologic*
  • NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Peptides / immunology
  • Receptors, Immunologic / immunology
  • Receptors, Natural Killer Cell
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Antigens, CD1
  • Antigens, CD1d
  • CD1D protein, human
  • HLA Antigens
  • HLA-G Antigens
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • KLRK1 protein, human
  • Lipids
  • MHC Ib Qa-2 antigen
  • NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K
  • Peptides
  • Receptors, Immunologic
  • Receptors, Natural Killer Cell