SLAM family receptors in normal immunity and immune pathologies

• SLAM family receptors, associated with SAP adaptors, play key roles in immunity.
• SLAM receptors can be either activating or inhibitory, depending on the context.
• The SLAM family has been implicated in a wide range of human diseases.
• One SLAM family receptor, SLAMF7, is a drug target in multiple myeloma.

The signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family is a group of six receptors restricted to hematopoietic cells. Most of these receptors are self-ligands, and thus are triggered in the context of interactions between hematopoietic cells. By way of their cytoplasmic domain, SLAM-related receptors associate with the SLAM-associated protein (SAP) family of adaptors, which control the signals and functions of SLAM family receptors. Recent findings have provided new insights into the key roles of SLAM family receptors in normal immunity, their involvement in human diseases and their usefulness as drug targets to treat human malignancies. These data are reviewed herein.