Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Inhibition Of Nk Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity By Tubular Epithelial Cell Expression Of Clr Proteins, Benjamin B. Fuhrmann

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cytotoxic effector cells can target and kill parenchymal cells of the kidney which results in injury and loss of function. Endogenous regulatory systems may exist to attenuate Natural Killer (NK) and other effector cell activation and cytotoxicity in diverse conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion injury associated with kidney transplantation. Understanding these mechanisms will direct new therapeutic strategies. Kidney tubular epithelial cells (TEC), the predominant cell type in kidneys, may negatively regulate NK cell activation by surface expression of C-type lectin-related proteins (Clr). Clr-b and -f were found to be expressed by wild type (WT) TEC. Clr-b was upregulated by …