NKG2D is an activating receptor (transmembrane protein) belonging to the C-type lectin-like receptor NKG2 family. NKG2D is encoded by the KLRK1 (killer cell lectin-like receptor K1) gene, located in the NK gene complex (NKC) on mouse chromosome 6 and human chromosome 12.In NK cells, there are two main receptors that control the balance of cell activation and inhibition: one recognizes MHC I (HLA-A, B, C), while the other recognizes non-MHC I. NKG2A and NKG2C recognize MHC I, while NKG2D and NCR mainly recognize non-MHC I. NKG2D is a type II transmembrane protein expressed as a dimer on the cell membrane, with two isoforms, the long transcript NGK2DL and the short transcript NKG2DS. The ligands for NKG2D mainly include MCA/MICB, ULBP1-6. When ligands bind to NKG2D, the YXXM sequence on the DAP10 protein can recruit GRB2, PI3K, leading to the activation of PLCγ and subsequently activating NK cells. NKG2D is also expressed on CD8+ T cells and γδT cells but only as a co-stimulatory signal, requiring cooperation with other receptors on T cells.NKG2D Blockade Reporter Jurkat Cell Line is a luciferase reporter gene cell line. When MICA binds to NKG2D, downstream signaling pathways are activated, resulting in the expression of firefly luciferase. The use of inhibitory antibodies can block this signaling cascade. Luciferase readout reflects the activation effect of the signaling pathway and can be utilized for assessing the in vitro effectiveness of NKG2D-related drugs.
