Teleost leukocyte immune-type receptors.

Leukocyte immune-type receptors (LITRs) are a large family of teleost immunoregulatory receptor-types belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. These immune genes are phylogenetically and syntenically related to Fc receptor-like protein genes (fcrls) present in other vertebrates, including amphibians, birds, mice, and man. In vitro-based functional analyses of LITRs, using transfection approaches, have shown that LITRs have diverse immunoregulatory potentials including the activation and inhibition of several innate immune effector responses such as cell-mediated killing responses, degranulation, cytokine secretion, and phagocytosis.