CD158d/KIR2DL4

CD158d (KIR2DL4) is an atypical member of the killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor family that defies the usual activating-versus-inhibitory dichotomy: it carries cytoplasmic ITIM motifs yet also has a charged transmembrane residue that recruits the FcR gamma adaptor. Unlike most KIR genes, KIR2DL4 is present and stably expressed on virtually all natural killer cells, and its ligand is the nonclassical HLA-G molecule characteristic of fetal trophoblast. The receptor resides largely in endosomal compartments and signals from there to promote chemokine and proangiogenic cytokine production rather than cytotoxicity. Through this pathway KIR2DL4 is implicated in remodeling of the maternal-fetal interface and has been studied in recurrent miscarriage and pre-eclampsia.