NK Checkpoint Receptors
Gene co-expression module in Natural Killer cells
| Category | Immune regulation |
|---|---|
| Genes | 14 |
| Annotation certainty | 4 of 5 |
| Annotation consistency | 8 of 14 genes have a known function matching the annotation |
Why this annotation
Multiple hub genes are canonical NK cell inhibitory/checkpoint receptors: CD96 (TIGIT family, NK checkpoint), TMIGD2 (receptor for HHLA2, immune checkpoint), SIRPG (SIRPgamma, inhibitory signaling), KIR2DL4 (KIR inhibitory receptor). CRACR2B regulates calcium signaling downstream of NK activation. DAPK2 is a pro-apoptotic kinase expressed in NK cells. CD7 is a pan-NK/T marker. MAPK12 (p38gamma) participates in NK stress/activation signaling. The co-expression of multiple checkpoint receptors in inflamed CD tissue suggests an exhausted or checkpoint-high NK state. Neighbor M1 contains mature NK markers, consistent with this being a related but more inhibitory NK substate.
Genes
CD7, CD96, CRACR2B, DAPK2, ECH1, ECI2, ISYNA1, KIR2DL4, MAP4, MAPK12, NAP1L4, SCML4, SIRPG, TMIGD2
Most correlated modules
- Tissue-Resident NK · correlation 0.92
- Resident NK cells · correlation 0.89
- Gut-Homing NK · correlation 0.87
- Resident NK program · correlation 0.87
- NK Tissue Residency · correlation 0.84
- NK Cytoskeletal Activation · correlation 0.80
- Mature NK Identity · correlation 0.78
- Hypoxia Response · correlation 0.77
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.