Description
Product Characteristics: CD24 is expressed in B cells until their terminal differentiation into plasma cells. It has been used widely as a marker to fractionate different B-lineage differentiation stages. CD24 has been found on a variety of other hematopoietic and neural cell types, and is now classified as a costimulatory molecule. The CD24/HSA molecule is composed mostly of carbohydrate, with a protein core of only 31-35 AA in the human and 27 AA in the mouse. The molecular mass is variable, ranging from 38-70 kDa. CD24 is now included in the large group of phosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane proteins. Studies with purified CD24 applied to latex beads have demonstrated a self-binding property, suggesting that the molecule is capable of promoting homotypic aggregation, binding and cell adhesion. This is supported by earlier observations of the blockade of B cell lymphoblast aggregation with anti-CD24 monoclonal antibody. Recent studies of murine CD24 have assigned a role for CD24/HSA as a ligand for P-selectin, a calcium-dependent lectin.
Target Information: This gene encodes a sialoglycoprotein that is expressed on mature granulocytes and in many B cells. The encoded protein is anchored via a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) link to the cell surface. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]