Non-classical MHC class I molecules regulating natural killer cell function

Natural killer (NK) cells possess effector and immunoregulatory functions that are controlled by a myriad of receptorligand pairs, including human killer inhibitory receptor (KIR) and mouse Ly49-MHC class I interactions. We have recently shown that the NK cell inhibitory molecule Ly49A binds the non-classical MHC molecule H2-M3, thus regulating host innate immune responses to tumor initiation and metastasis