Natural cytotoxicity receptor 3 (NKp30) (NKp30)

Natural cytotoxicity receptor 3 (NKp30), also known as CD337, is a potent activating receptor primarily expressed on Natural Killer (NK) cells and Cytokine-Induced Killer (CIK) cells (UniProt P59959). It belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and plays a pivotal role in the innate immune system's ability to detect and destroy transformed or infected cells. NKp30 recognizes specific ligands such as B7-H6, which is frequently overexpressed on various tumor cells, and BAG6, a nuclear protein released during cellular stress (PubMed: 21149267). Upon ligand engagement, NKp30 triggers a signaling cascade through adapter proteins like CD3z, leading to the secretion of perforin, granzymes, and interferon-gamma. In the field of adoptive immunotherapy, NKp30 is a critical mediator of the non-MHC-restricted cytotoxicity exhibited by CIK cells, making it a significant target for enhancing the efficacy of cell-based cancer treatments (PubMed: 22461488, 31611614). The therapeutic potential of NKp30 is currently being explored through the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified cells and bispecific antibodies designed to bridge the receptor with tumor-associated antigens.

Other names

NCR3CD337Natural killer cell p30-related protein1C7LY117

Activation of cytotoxic signaling through association with ITAM-containing adapter proteins like CD3z or FcεRIγ upon ligand binding.