KLRB1 Gene Expression Is Suppressed
in Human Cancer Tissues

V. V. Pleshkan, M. V. Zinovyeva, T. V. Vinogradova, and E. D. Sverdlov

Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Received March 31, 2007

Abstract—The KLRB1 gene encodes the CD161 receptor in natural killer cells (NK cells). The gene is also
expressed in the NKT cells. Both types of cells are cytotoxic and capable of recognizing and eliminating various
tumor, virus-infected, and allotransplant cells. The biological function of human CD161 is not clear. It is sug-
gested that it can be involved in the regulation of both cytotoxic cell functions and cytokine production. As the
majority of cancer patients show down-regulation of the immune system, we hypothesized that the level of
KLRB1 expression might also be suppressed in cancer cells. Here, we show that KLRB1 gene expression was
suppressed in tumor tissues in 68% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (p < 0.0001) and in 57% of
patients with esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (p = 0.0003). The high frequency of KLRB1 gene suppres-
sion in cancer patients suggests that this gene can represent a highly informative marker of lung and esophageal
cancers.

DOI:10.3103/S0891416807040015

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