Epigenetic and Posttranscriptional Regulation of CD16 Expression during Human NK Cell Development.

The surface receptor FcγRIIIA (CD16a) is encoded by the gene and is acquired by human NK cells during maturation. NK cells bind the Fc portion of IgG via CD16a and execute Ab-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, which is critical for the effectiveness of several antitumor mAb therapies. The role of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms controlling transcriptional and posttranscriptional CD16 expression in NK cells is unknown.