Description
MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence B, also known as MICB, is a heavily glycosylated protein serving as a ligand for the type II receptor NKG2D. MICB shares 85% amino acid identity with MICA, a closely related protein, both of which contain three extracellular immunoglobulin-like domains, but without the capacity to bind peptide or interact with beta-2-microglobulin. acting as a stress-induced self-antigen, binding of MICB to the NKG2D receptor activates the cytolytic response of natural killer (NK) cells, CD8+αβ T cells, and γδ T cells on which the receptor is expressed. MICA/B is minimally expressed on normal cells, but are frequently expressed on epithelial tumors and can be induced by bacterial and viral infections. MICA/B recognition thus is involved in tumor surveillance, viral infections, and autoimmune diseases