Homologues of natural killer cell receptors NKG2-D and NKR-P1 expressed in cattle

Partial transcripts of the homologues in cattle, of the genes encoding the NKR-P1 and NKG2-D natural killer cell lectin-like receptor families, were cloned by reverse transcriptase-PCR from bovine spleen. Three different cDNAs were partially sequenced for the NKG2-D homologue, and two for the NKR-P1 homologue. Identity to human nucleotide sequences was of 90 and 75%, respectively, and all structural residues of C-type lectin carbohydrate recognition domains were conserved. The identification of two of its members allows to hypothesise the existence of a bovine NK gene complex, prospectively located on chromosome 5.