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. 2016 Apr;6(2):171.
doi: 10.4172/2165-7890.1000171. Epub 2016 Mar 28.

A Killer Immunoglobulin - Like Receptor Gene - Content Haplotype and A Cognate Human Leukocyte Antigen Ligand are Associated with Autism

Anthony Torres  1 , Jonna Westover  1 , Michael Benson  1 , Randall Johnson  1 , Annelise Dykes  1
Affiliations

A Killer Immunoglobulin - Like Receptor Gene - Content Haplotype and A Cognate Human Leukocyte Antigen Ligand are Associated with Autism

Anthony Torres et al. Autism Open Access. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

The killing activity of natural killer cells is largely regulated by the binding of class I human leukocyte antigen cognate ligands to killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor proteins. The killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor gene - complex contains genes that activate and others that inhibit the killing state of natural killer cells depending on the binding of specific human leukocyte antigen cognate ligands. It has been suggested in previous publications that activating human leukocyte antigen/killer - cell immunoglobulin - like receptor complexes are increased in people with autism. We present data, which suggests that an activating cB01/tA01 killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor gene - content haplotype and the cognate ligand human leukocyte antigen - C1k that activates this haplotype is significantly increased in autism. This is an important observation suggesting that the interaction between two proteins encoded on different chromosomes increases natural killer cell killing in autism.

Keywords: Autism; Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles; KIR gene; Killer - cell immunoglobulin - like receptors (KIR); Transmission disequilibrium test (TDT).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
location of HLA ligands on human chromosome 6 and the KIR gene complex on chromosome 19
Figure 2
Figure 2
Complete KIR gene haplotypes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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