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NKG2D Receptor and Its Ligands in Host Defense
Open accessAbstract
NKG2D is an activating receptor expressed on the surface of natural killer (NK) cells, CD8+ T cells, and subsets of CD4+ T cells, invariant NKT cells (iNKT), and γδ T cells. In humans, NKG2D transmits signals by its association with the DAP10 adapter subunit, and in mice alternatively spliced isoforms transmit signals either using DAP10 or DAP12 adapter subunits. Although NKG2D is encoded by a highly conserved gene (KLRK1) with limited polymorphism, the receptor recognizes an extensive repertoire of ligands, encoded by at least eight genes in humans (MICA, MICB, RAET1E, RAET1G, RAET1H, RAET1I, RAET1L, and RAET1N), some with extensive allelic polymorphism. Expression of the NKG2D ligands is tightly regulated at the level of transcription, translation, and posttranslation. In general, healthy adult tissues do not express NKG2D glycoproteins on the cell surface, but these ligands can be induced by hyperproliferation and transformation, as well as when cells are infected by pathogens. Thus, the NKG2D pathway serves as a mechanism for the immune system to detect and eliminate cells that have undergone “stress.” Viruses and tumor cells have devised numerous strategies to evade detection by the NKG2D surveillance system, and diversification of the NKG2D ligand genes likely has been driven by selective pressures imposed by pathogens. NKG2D provides an attractive target for therapeutics in the treatment of infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Cancer Immunol Res; 3(6); 575–82. ©2015 AACR.
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“Remarkably, the candidate signature gene RAET1G is one of the few genes that could encode a ligand recognized by NKG2D proteins in response to stress and infections (Eagle and Trowsdale, 2007; Tomasec et al., 2007; Lanier, 2015).”
From Identification of Candidate Signature Genes and Key Regulators Associated With Trypanotolerance in the Sheko Breed (2019) · cites this paper as Lanier, 2015
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“Similarly, costimulatory receptors and cytokine and chemokine signaling modulate NK cell development and function (7).”
BackgroundImmune Therapies for Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
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“The biology and functions of the NKG2A, NKG2C, and NKG2D receptors in immune responses to infections and in cancer have been studied extensively (8, 9); however, only very little is known about the biology of the other members of this family: NKG2F, NKG2E, and NKG2H.”
Duggan, M., Campbell, A. R., McMichael, E. L., Opheim, K. S., Levine, K. M., Bhave, N. S., Culbertson, M., Noel, T., Yu, L., & Carson, W. (2018) · Oncoimmunology · doi:10.1080/2162402x.2017.1381813 · Cited by 11
“also recognize cells expressing stress-induced ligands such as MICA/B and ULBPs, they play a vital role in immune surveillance and control of tumor growth and metastasis.(5,6) For instance, it has been shown that in an NK cell-deficient mouse model, depletion of NK cells diminished natural killing activity and led to…”
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Interactions of NK Cells and Macrophages: From Infections to Cancer Therapeutics
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Features of HLA class I expression and its clinical relevance in SARS‐CoV‐2: What do we know so far?
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“NKG2D does not dimerise with CD94 and recognises at least six ligands (UL16‐binding protein, MICA/B, Rae‐1, MULT1, H60).(44) The ‘missing‐self axis’ is controlled by inhibitory receptors (NKG2A and KIRs).”
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“Natural killer group 2 member D (NKG2D) is a cell surface protein present on NK cells, CD8+ T cells, NK/T cells, and γδ T cells [64].”
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“NKG2D, an activating NK cell receptor, plays an important role in NK cell cytolytic function against viral‐infected or transformed cells (Fang, Lanier, & Sigal, 2008; Lanier, 2005; Lanier, 2015).”
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“This receptor recognizes atypical MHC class I molecules expressed during viral infections or certain tumor cells, thereby activating the cytotoxic functions of NK cells and T cells [33].”
Li, Y., Chen, H., Zhang, H., Lin, Z., Song, L., & Zhao, C. (2024) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1373011 · Cited by 10
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“Activation of NKG2D triggers a series of signaling pathways distinct from that triggered by cytokine receptors [97].”
Natural killer cells: a future star for immunotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
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“The NKG2D receptor, a well-known NK activating receptor, is mainly expressed on NK cells, NK T cells, CD8 T cells, and subsets of γδT cells [25].”
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NKG2D Fine-Tunes the Local Inflammatory Response in Colorectal Cancer
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“One alternative to targeting tumor antigens in cell therapy relies on the detection of stress-induced ligands, such as ligands for the activating receptor NKG2D, known to be expressed in most cancer types [9].”
BackgroundValenzuela‐Vázquez, L., Núñez-Enríquez, J., Sánchez‐Herrera, J., Medina-Sansón, A., Pérez-Saldívar, M., Jiménez-Hernández, E., Martiín-Trejo, J. A., Martínez, M. D. L. A. D. C., Flores-Lujano, J., Amador-Sánchez, R., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.1023510 · Cited by 9
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“As previous studies showed, NKG2D plays an important role in NK cell activation [18].”
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“NKG2D is an activating homodimeric member of the NKG2 family of C-type lectin–like receptors that enables immune cells to recognize damaged/stressed autologous cells by interaction with cell-surface ligands indicative of cellular distress (18).”
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“NKG2D acts as a molecular stress sensor which recognize self antigens induced on infected, transformed, or stressed cells [42].”
Backgroundγδ T cell costimulatory ligands in antitumor immunity
McGraw, J. M., & Witherden, D. A. (2022) · Exploration of Immunology · doi:10.37349/ei.2022.00038 · Cited by 7
“Upon NKG2D activation, DAP10 recruits a p85 phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Vav-1 signaling complex, whereas DAP12 contains a canonical immunotyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) that binds spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and Zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP70) tyrosine kinases [20].”
BackgroundLushnikova, A., Bohr, J., Wickbom, A., Münch, A., Sjöberg, K., Hultgren, O., Wirén, A., & Hultgren-Hörnquist, E. (2021) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.727412 · Cited by 9
“These are seen by the receptor NKG2D, expressed on NK cells as well as CD8 TcRαβ or TcRγδ T cells (40).”
BackgroundChallenges and Prospects for Designer T and NK Cells in Glioblastoma Immunotherapy
Arnesen, V. S., Navarro, A. G., & Chekenya, M. (2021) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers13194986 · Cited by 8
Alves, E., McLeish, E., Blancafort, P., Coudert, J. D., & Gaudieri, S. (2021) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.712722 · Cited by 10
“Moreover, as reviewed by Lanier (52), essentially all cell types are capable of expressing one or more types of NKG2D-L if given the Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 3 appropriate stimulus.”
BackgroundVenet, D., Rediti, M., Maetens, M., Fumagalli, D., Brown, D. N., Majjaj, S., Salgado, R., Pusztai, L., Harbeck, N., El-Abed, S., et al. (2021) · Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-1317 · Cited by 9
“NKG2D ligands can be regulated by transcriptional, translational, and posttranslational mechanisms as well, potentially leading to immune-escape mechanisms with complex interactions (52).”
BackgroundInfluential“Acquired” NKG2D Ligand Stimulates NK Cell–mediated Tumor Immunosurveillance
Wang, D., Gu, X.-L., Liu, X.-J., Liu, X., Wang, B., Lao, F.-X., & Fang, M. (2019) · Journal of immunotherapy · doi:10.1097/cji.0000000000000276 · Cited by 9
NKG2D Polymorphism in Melanoma Patients from Southeastern Spain
Gimeno, L., Martínez-Banaclocha, H., Bernardo, M. V., Bolarín, J. M., Marín, L., López-Hernández, R., López-Álvarez, M. R., Moya-Quiles, M., Muro, M., Frías-Iniesta, J., et al. (2019) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers11040438 · Cited by 9
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“Classical and non-classical MHC I molecule manipulation by human cytomegalovirus: so many targets-but how many arrows in the quiver? Cell Mol Immunol (2015) 12(2):139–53.”
BackgroundNK1.1− CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells suppress DSS‐induced colitis in mice through production of TGF‐β
Qian, X.-X., Hu, C., Han, S., Lin, Z., Xiao, W.-M., Ding, Y.-B., Zhang, Y., Qian, L., Jia, X.-Q., Zhu, G.-Q., et al. (2017) · Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine · doi:10.1111/jcmm.13072 · Cited by 9
“Mouse NKG2D ligands include retinoic acid early induced transcript-1 (RAE-1a, RAE1b, RAE-1c, RAE-1d, RAE-1e), H60 and murine ULBP-like transcript 1 (MULT-1) [1, 2].”
BackgroundCytokine Storm Syndromes Associated with Epstein–Barr Virus
Verbist, K. C., & Nichols, K. (2019) · Cytokine Storm Syndrome · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-22094-5_15 · Cited by 9
Engineering immunity with CAR-NK cells: advancing the frontiers of cancer immunotherapy
Cianga, V., Antohe, I., Minciună, C., & Dascalescu, A. (2025) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1738558 · Cited by 8
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Luo, Q., Yin, X., Zhu, Q., Luo, W., Liu, R., Wei, L.-Y., & Zou, Y.-Z. (2025) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1563872 · Cited by 8
Li, F., Jin, C., Pan, Y., Zhang, Z., Wang, L., Deng, J., Zhou, Y., Guo, B., & Zhang, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1544348 · Cited by 9
γδ‐T cell with high toxic potential was associated with recurrent miscarriage
Xiao, H., Lin, R., Chen, C., Lian, R.-C., Wu, Y., Diao, L., Yin, T.-L., & Huang, C. (2023) · American Journal of Reproductive Immunology · doi:10.1111/aji.13717 · Cited by 8
Moratalla, A. C., Solorio, Y. C., Lemaître, F., Farzam‐kia, N., Cal, S. D., Guimond, J. V., Haddad, É., Duquette, P., Girard, J. M., Prat, A., et al. (2023) · Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.msard.2023.104542 · Cited by 9
Hassouna, M. M., Radwan, E. M., Abdelsameea, E., Estaphan, S., Elrhman, H. E. A., Abdel-Samiee, M., & Naguib, M. A. (2021) · Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention · doi:10.31557/apjcp.2021.22.8.2559 · Cited by 8
Li, J., Zhang, Y., Jilg, A. L., Wolk, D. M., Khara, H. S., Kolinovsky, A. N., Rolston, D. D. K., Hontecillas, R., Bassaganya-Riera, J., Williams, M. S., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.638913 · Cited by 9
“It encodes the highly polymorphic major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A, which serves as one of the ligands for NKG2D, an activating receptor constitutively expressed on natural killer (NK) cells, gd T cells and other types of killer T cells (34).”
BackgroundCirculating CD56+ NKG2D+ NK cells and postoperative fertility in ovarian endometrioma
Liu, Z., Lu, M.-Y., & Liu, B. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75570-z · Cited by 8
Using Coarse-Grained Simulations to Characterize the Mechanisms of Protein–Protein Association
Dhusia, K., Su, Z.-Q., & Wu, Y. (2020) · Biomolecules · doi:10.3390/biom10071056 · Cited by 8
“As a result, the difference in association rates of receptor binding between cellular and viral ligands directly regulates the NK cytolytic activity [18].”
BackgroundHøgh, R. I., Droujinine, A., Møller, S. H., Jepsen, S. D., Mellergaard, M., Andresen, L. O., & Skov, S. (2020) · The Journal of Immunology · doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1900740 · Cited by 9
“NKG2D ligands belong to the MHC class I–related family (MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence [MIC] A/B) or the UL16-binding protein family (ULBP1-6) (15, 16).”
BackgroundPatel, S. S., Rybicki, L. A., Yurch, M. A., Thomas, D., Liu, H. D., Dean, R. M., Jagadeesh, D., Hill, B. T., Pohlman, B. L., Bolwell, B. J., et al. (2019) · Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.hemonc.2019.10.001 · Cited by 9
Giuliani, E., Desimio, M., & Doria, M. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40760-x · Cited by 8
Molecular mechanisms and targets underlying immune evasion by human cytomegalovirus.
Shen, Y.-T., Zhang, L., Xue, X., & Feng, S.-Y. (2025) · Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi · doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2025.06.005 · Cited by 7
Bartolini, R., Trueb, L., Daoudlarian, D., Joo, V., Noto, A., Stadelmann, R., Gentner, B., Fenwick, C., Perreau, M., Coukos, G., et al. (2025) · Annals of Oncology · doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2025.03.011 · Cited by 7
Desimio, M., Covino, D., Cancrini, C., & Doria, M. (2024) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1467304 · Cited by 7
Xu, A., Li, Z., Ding, Y., Wang, X., Yang, Y., Du, L., Wang, D.-H., Shu, S., & Wang, Z. (2024) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111128 · Cited by 7
“NKG2D is a key activating receptor on the surface of NK cells, essential for their functional activation (Lanier, 2015).”
Crucial immunological roles of the invasion front in innate and adaptive immunity in cervical cancer
Hirahara, Y., Shimizu, K., Yamasaki, S., Iyoda, T., Ueda, S., Sato, S., Harada, J., Saji, H., Fujii, S., Miyagi, Y., et al. (2024) · British Journal of Cancer · doi:10.1038/s41416-024-02877-3 · Cited by 7
“NK cells express co-stimulatory molecules, such as NCRs (NKp30, NKp44, and NKp46), NK group 2 member D (NKG2D), and CD226/ DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1), as well as inhibitory receptors, i.e., CD94/NKG2A/B, KIR2DL, and KIR3DL [14, 15].”
Canichella, M., Molica, M., Mazzone, C., & de Fabritiis, P. (2023) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers16010042 · Cited by 7
“In a preclinical study, a second-generation FLT3 4-1BB-CD3-CAR T-cell demonstrated the ability to recognize and eliminate FLT3+ tumor cells.”
BackgroundTammi, S., Koskela, S., Biobank, B. S., Hyvärinen, K., Partanen, J., & Ritari, J. (2024) · PLoS Computational Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011718 · Cited by 8
“With accurate imputation of the non-classical HLA and MIC genes from large cohorts it is possible to detect novel associations and to study traits related to transplantation, cancer, autoimmunity, mother-fetus interface and NK cell activities, in which these molecules have functional roles [60–65].”
BackgroundWang, Z., Cui, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Li, J., Li, J.-L., & Jiang, N. (2023) · Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas · doi:10.1590/1414-431x2023e12296 · Cited by 7
“NK cells cannot be recognized due to the loss of ligands on the tumor cell’s surface, demonstrating the importance of NK by ligand-mediated immune response (25).”
BackgroundInfluentialNanoparticle-assisted targeting of the tumour microenvironment
Sim, T. M. (2022) · OpenNano · doi:10.1016/j.onano.2022.100097 · Cited by 8
The soldiers needed to be awakened: Tumor-infiltrating immune cells
Yaping, W., Wang, Z., Zhuling, C., Li, R., Pengyu, F., Lili, G., Cheng, J., Bo, Z., Liu, L., Guangdong, H., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Genetics · doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.988703 · Cited by 9
“Of note, soluble NKG2D ligands released by tumor cells have been reported to correlate with poor outcomes (Lanier, 2015; Ferrari de Andrade et al., 2018).”
BackgroundEffective Natural Killer Cell Degranulation Is an Essential Key in COVID-19 Evolution
Garcinuño, S., Gil‐Etayo, F. J., Mancebo, E., López-Nevado, M., Lalueza, A., Díaz‐Simón, R., Pleguezuelo, D. E., Serrano, M., Cabrera-Marante, Ó., Allende, L. M., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23126577 · Cited by 7
“NKG2D plays an important role in viral and tumor clearance via cell degranulation [53].”
BackgroundmicroRNA, a Subtle Indicator of Human Cytomegalovirus against Host Immune Cells
Yu, M., Jin, Y., Zhang, S.-C., Xu, J., & Zhang, J.-X. (2022) · Vaccines · doi:10.3390/vaccines10020144 · Cited by 7
“In this context, stress-induced cellular ligands MIC-A, MIC-B, and ULBPs, which are recognized by the activating receptor NKG2D, will be overexpressed upon viral infection, and they are central in NK-mediated immune responses against HCMV [32].”
BackgroundA Chimeric Antigen Receptor That Binds to a Conserved Site on MICA
Cook, W., Choi, Y., Gacerez, A., Bailey-Kellogg, C., & Sentman, C. (2020) · ImmunoHorizons · doi:10.4049/immunohorizons.2000041 · Cited by 7
Martinović, K., Milicevic, M., Larsen, A., Dzodic, R., Jurišić, V., Konjević, G., & Vuletić, A. (2019) · European Cytokine Network · doi:10.1684/ecn.2019.0440 · Cited by 7
“NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity toward cancer cells is mediated via binding of the activating NK cell receptor NKG2D to ligands on transformed cells including the MHC class I chainrelated (MIC) proteins A and B, and the UL-16 binding proteins (ULBPs) [4].”
BackgroundConstitutive expression of ULBP-4 on monocytes regulates NK cell NKG2D expression.
Sharma, N., & Markiewicz, M. (2019) · Blood Advances · doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2018025742 · Cited by 7
“NKG2D ligands are considered “stress ligands,” with expression induced by stressors, including viral infection or DNA damage.(2,3) Nevertheless, there are cells that are not considered stressed that also express NKG2D ligands.”
BackgroundNKG2D gene variation and susceptibility to viral bronchiolitis in childhood
Pasanen, A., Karjalainen, M. K., Kummola, L., Waage, J., Bønnelykke, K., Ruotsalainen, M., Piippo‐Savolainen, E., Goksör, E., Nuolivirta, K., Chawes, B., et al. (2018) · Pediatric Research · doi:10.1038/s41390-018-0086-9 · Cited by 7
Developing immunotherapeutic strategies to target brain tumors
Lieberman, N. A. P., Moyes, K. W., & Crane, C. A. (2016) · Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy · doi:10.1080/14737140.2016.1192470 · Cited by 6
“Despite robust expression of ligands by GBM tumor cells for NKG2D (reviewed in [110]), TGFβ production decreases surface expression of NKG2D on NK and CTL, reducing lysis of tumor cells [111].”
BackgroundTargeting NKG2D/NKG2DL axis in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms and therapeutic applications
Wei, H., Xiang, L., Zhou, Y., Huang, Y., Liu, L., & Cao, D. (2026) · Journal of Translational Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12967-025-07650-5 · Cited by 6
“It is predominantly expressed on NK cells, NKT cells, CD8 + αβT cells, γδ T cells, activated murine macrophages, and a minor subset of CD4 + T cells [4, 10].”
Cochran, H., Ghobadi, K. A., & Ghobadi, A. (2025) · Immunotherapy · doi:10.1080/1750743x.2025.2582464 · Cited by 6
“Unlike T cells, NK cells mediate cytotoxicity in an HLA-unrestricted manner, eliminating the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and allowing for the development of allogeneic, “off-the-shelf” products [11,12].”
McLaughlin, Q., Sojka, D. K., Kennedy, K. J., Piersma, S. J., & Sethakorn, N. (2025) · Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1186/s13046-025-03503-7 · Cited by 6
“NKG2D expression is not restricted to NK cells but has also been detected on subsets of T cells, including recently activated CD8 + T cells, γδ T cells and iNKT cells [25].”
Kusch, N., Storm, J., Macioszek, A., Knabbe, C., Kaltschmidt, B., & Kaltschmidt, C. (2025) · Cells · doi:10.3390/cells14161252 · Cited by 6
“CD16a mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) through its interaction with the Fc region of IgG antibodies [14], while NKG2D detects stress-induced ligands such as MICA and MICB [15,16].”
Huang, C.-Y., Chiu, S.-F., Chu, L. J., Yeh, Y., Huang, P.-J., Lan, K.-L., Tsai, Y., Liu, C.-C., Chen, C.-F. F., Lin, W., et al. (2025) · PLoS Pathogens · doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1013216 · Cited by 6
“MICB is one of the ligands for the natural killer group 2 member D protein (NKG2D) receptor expressed on the surface of NK cells and CD8 + T cells, and is induced in response to cellular stress [34].”
Pogoda-Wesołowska, A., Sługocka, N., Synowiec, A., Brodaczewska, K. K., Mejer-Zahorowski, M., Ziękiewicz, M., Szypowski, W., Szymański, P., & Stępień, A. (2025) · Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnmol.2024.1493308 · Cited by 7
McFarlin, B., Bridgeman, E. A., Curtis, J. H., Vingren, J., & Hill, D. W. (2024) · Methods · doi:10.1016/j.ymeth.2024.07.013 · Cited by 6
Chen, C., Jung, A., Yang, A.-N., Monroy, I., Zhang, Z.-F., Chaurasiya, S., Deshpande, S., Priceman, S., Fong, Y.-M., Park, A. K., et al. (2023) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers15235661 · Cited by 6
“Moreover, interaction with the ligand triggers immune cell activation, expansion, and pro-inflammatory cytokine reactions, resulting in targeted cell death [54].”
BackgroundKlussmeier, A., Putke, K., Klasberg, S., Kohler, M., Sauter, J., Schefzyk, D., Schöfl, G., Massalski, C., Schäfer, G., Schmidt, A. H., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1297589 · Cited by 6
“Some of these approaches might also be useful against infectious diseases since multiple viruses exploit similar strategies to avoid host cell recognition by immune cells (14 – 16).”
BackgroundJiang, J., Liu, Y., Zeng, Y., Fang, B., & Chen, Y. (2023) · Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research · doi:10.1089/jir.2023.0043 · Cited by 6
“Meanwhile, NKG2D can also bind with its ligand (NKG2DL), thereby participating in the activation of NK cells, cytokine production, and lysis of target cells (Lanier, 2015).”
Bispecific Antibodies Progression in Malignant Melanoma
Tang, J., Gong, Y.-L., & Ma, X.-L. (2022) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.837889 · Cited by 6
“NKG2D plays a role in recognizing the oncogenic transformation of cells (Lanier, 2015).”
BackgroundEstimation of CD3, CD4, and CD8 in Iraqi patients with alopecia areata and alopecia universalis
Aldaffaie, S. T. H., Hussein, T. A., & Muhieldden, A. A. R. (2021) · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology · doi:10.1111/jocd.14541 · Cited by 6
Lis, N., Hein, Z., Ghanwat, S., Ramnarayan, V. R., Chambers, B. J., & Springer, S. (2021) · Journal of Cell Science · doi:10.1242/jcs.257428 · Cited by 6
Hu, J., Xia, X., Gorlick, R., & Li, S.-L. (2019) · Oncogene · doi:10.1038/s41388-019-0960-x · Cited by 6
Haplotype block 1 variant (HB-1v) of the NKG2 family of receptors
Vázquez-González, W. G., Martínez-Álvarez, J. C., García, A. A., & Pérez‐Rodríguez, M. (2019) · Human Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.humimm.2019.07.276 · Cited by 6
Tissue-Resident Cytolytic Innate Lymphocytes in Cancer
Nixon, B. G., & Li, M. O. (2018) · The Journal of Immunology · doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1701124 · Cited by 8
“Ligands for NKG2D are expressed specifically in the context of cell transformation and viral infection, and in the setting of cancer, ligands can be shed, which leads to NK cell activation and tumor rejection, although how resident populations respond to shed ligands remains unknown (60, 61).”
BackgroundNatural killer cells: gatekeepers of healthy aging in longevity medicine
Yang, J. Y., Tu, D. T., Liao, J.-C., & Lee, O. K. (2026) · Inflammation and Regeneration · doi:10.1186/s41232-026-00414-8 · Cited by 5
“…responses against virally infected, transformed, and stressed cells, functioning without antigen-specific receptors generated by somatic recombination but instead integrating signals from a diverse array of activating and inhibitory receptors to balance responsiveness and tolerance [5–7].”
InfluentialHe, Y., Zeng, X., Liu, Q., Zhou, L., Tang, Y., Liu, S., Wang, X., Shen, S., Ji, J., Liu, Z., et al. (2026) · Molecular Cancer · doi:10.1186/s12943-026-02634-5 · Cited by 5
“LDRT induces the surface expression of stress signals like NKG2D ligands on tumor cells, thereby enabling more precise recognition and elimination by NK cells [96].”
Metadata
- Authors
- Lanier, L. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lanier, Lewis L.
- ORCID
- Lanier, Lewis L.
- Venue
- Cancer Immunology Research
- Published
- 2015-06-01
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 575-582
- ISSN
- 2326-6066 (ISSN-L)
- 2326-6074
- PMC
- PMC4457299
- OpenAlex
- W2142548447
- Cited by
- 599
- References
- 78
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 63 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 4.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cancer Immunology Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (R01CA089189)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI-068129, R01AI068129, R37AI066897, AI066897)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune Cell Function and Interaction
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › interferon and immune responses
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Reproductive System and Pregnancy
- Keywords
- NKG2D, NKG2D ligands, mica, MICB, natural killer cells, DAP10, DAP12, immune evasion, viral evasion, tumor immune evasion, host defense, NK cell activation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Communicable Diseases, Humans, Killer Cells, Natural, Ligands, Lymphocyte Activation, Neoplasms, Lymphocyte Subsets, NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K, Disease Resistance
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