Does the Interaction of KIR and HLA Affect the Development of Non-Infectious Uveitis?

Immune tolerance is established in the eye to prevent permanent blindness associated with destructive damage to the cornea and retina caused by immune cell infiltration; hence, the immune responses and subsequent inflammations are strongly suppressed. While non-infectious uveitis develops from a disruption of immune tolerance in the eye, its onset is a result of accumulating etiologic factors, including genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and aging. Many non-infectious uveitis cases are genetically predisposed to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) as the most substantial disease susceptibility region. HLA class I molecules are critical for natural killer (NK) cells to distinguish between self and non-self. The killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) family is one of the essential components of these receptors. Evidence has accumulated that NK cells are involved in innate and acquired immunity by interacting with other immunocompetent cells to develop several autoimmune diseases. This review summarizes the possible role of KIR in the development of non-infectious uveitis.