Used in immunological research to study natural killer (NK) cell regulation and immune checkpoint mechanisms. This tagged protein helps in binding assays and functional studies to evaluate interactions with its ligand, HLA-E in humans or Qa-1 in mice, supporting development of therapeutic antibodies and immune modulation strategies. Commonly employed in ELISA, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and protein-protein interaction experiments. Facilitates preclinical testing in primate models due to high sequence homology with human NKG2A, making it valuable for translational research in autoimmunity, cancer immunotherapy, and infectious disease.