Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors
| Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors | |
|---|---|
| Identifiers | |
| Symbol | LILR |
| Membranome | 17 |
Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LILRs) are a diverse family of cell surface proteins predominantly expressed on various immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, and subsets of B and T lymphocytes. These receptors play crucial roles in regulating immune responses through both activating and inhibitory mechanisms. LILRs are integral to maintaining immune homeostasis, preventing autoimmunity, and responding to infections and tumors.
Structurally, LILRs are characterized by extracellular immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains and cytoplasmic tails that either contain immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs) or associate with activating adaptor proteins. The balance of LILR signaling helps tune the immune threshold and contributes to various immune processes ranging from tolerance to inflammation and pathogen clearance.
LILRs are encoded in the leukocyte receptor complex (LRC) located on chromosome 19q13.4, a region that also contains other immunoregulatory receptors. Their classification includes activating receptors (LILRA subfamily) and inhibitory receptors (LILRB subfamily), each recognizing a variety of ligands including classical and non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules.
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They include