NK Cell Activation
Gene co-expression module in Natural Killer cells
| Category | activation |
|---|---|
| Genes | 11 |
| Annotation certainty | 3 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 8 of 11 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
Hub genes PLAC8, CD300A, ANXA1, AHNAK, ITGAX, CD226, SORL1, and AKT3 collectively point to a mature/activated NK cell state with inhibitory and activating receptor expression. PLAC8 marks mature NK cells and is upregulated in inflammatory contexts. CD300A is an inhibitory receptor on NK cells. ANXA1 is involved in anti-inflammatory signaling and membrane repair. AHNAK is a scaffolding protein linked to immune cell activation and calcium signaling. ITGAX (CD11c) marks activated/tissue NK cells. CD226 (DNAM-1) is a key NK activating receptor. SORL1 is involved in endosomal trafficking. AKT3 is a survival/activation kinase. The module is significantly upregulated in both UC and CD inflammation and decreases in remission, consistent with an inflammation-associated mature NK activation state. The uniform expression across subsets and the disease association support a mature activated NK cell program rather than contamination.
Genes
AHNAK, AKT3, ANXA1, C16orf54, C1orf162, CD226, CD300A, ITGAX, PLAC8, RRBP1, SORL1
Most correlated modules
- Mature NK Identity · correlation 0.75
- Granulysin Cytotoxic Effector · correlation 0.72
- NK Homing & Residency · correlation 0.70
- IFN-stimulated NK · correlation 0.64
- NK Cytotoxic Signaling · correlation 0.62
- NK Homing Adhesion · correlation 0.59
- Innate Sensing NK Regulation · correlation 0.55
- ILC1-like NK Subset · correlation 0.53
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.