Ascorbic Acid Promotes <i>KIR</i> Demethylation during Early NK Cell Differentiation.

ABSTRACT: Variegated expression of killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) in human NK cells is a stochastic process exclusive to subsets of mature NK cells and CD8⁺ T cells. Allele-specific KIR expression is maintained by DNA methylation within the proximal promoter regions. Because KIR genes are densely methylated in NK cell progenitors, there is an implied stage of human NK cell development in which DNA demethylation takes place to allow for active transcription. When and how this process occurs is unknown. In this study, we show that KIR proximal promoters are densely methylated in less mature CD56^bright NK cells and are progressively demethylated in CD56^dim NK cells as they mature and acquire KIR. We hypothesized that ten-eleven translocation (TET) e

SUBMITTER: Wu CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7484163 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature