NK Cytotoxic Effector
Gene co-expression module in Innate lymphoid cells
| Category | Cytotoxicity |
|---|---|
| Genes | 26 |
| Annotation certainty | 3 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 10 of 20 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
This weak-coherence module shows very high ILC1 enrichment (2.8–10.9x) for most genes. Hub genes include CD247 (CD3ζ chain, T/NK cell signaling), MAP1LC3A (autophagy marker LC3A), CAMK4 (calcium/calmodulin kinase IV, lymphocyte activation), MAEA (macrophage erythroblast attacher), DCXR (dicarbonyl/L-xylulose reductase), B4GALNT1 (ganglioside synthase, 10.9x ILC1 enrichment), NT5E (CD73, ectonucleotidase, immune regulation), SLC43A2 (amino acid transporter), SH2D1B (EAT-2, NK cell signaling adaptor), CD3E (T cell receptor complex), LY9 (SLAM family, lymphocyte activation), CCL5 (RANTES chemokine), UNC13D (Munc13-4, cytotoxic granule exocytosis), SIGLEC7 (NK inhibitory receptor), MGAT1 (N-glycan branching). The presence of CD247, CD3E, SH2D1B, SIGLEC7, UNC13D, CCL5, NT5E, and LY9 strongly indicates NK/ILC cytotoxic and activation programs. However, CD3E and CD247 could suggest T cell contamination or ILC1 identity. Given the extreme ILC1 enrichment and the presence of canonical NK markers (SIGLEC7, UNC13D, SH2D1B), this module reflects NK/ILC1 cytotoxic effector identity rather than T cell contamination.
Genes
ACAA2, APIP, B4GALNT1, CAMK4, CCL5, CCNG2, CD247, CD3E, DCXR, GUSB, LY9, MAEA, MAP1LC3A, MAT2B, MGAT1, NRBP1, NT5E, RAD23B, SH2D1B, SIGLEC7, SLC43A2, TMEM156, UBE2E1, UNC13D, WHRN, ZBTB44
Most correlated modules
- ILC Transcription Factor Program · correlation 0.92
- Actin Cytoskeletal Regulation · correlation 0.91
Module annotations were drafted by a large language model from the module's genes, then reviewed and approved by a domain expert. See sources & licences.