Description
CD22, or cluster of differentiation-22, is a molecule belonging to the SIGLEC family of lectins. CD22 is a sugar binding transmembrane protein, which specifically binds 2,6-linked sialic acid residues with an immunoglobulin (Ig) domain located at its N-terminus. The presence of Ig domains makes CD22 a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. It is present in the cytoplasm of nearly all B-lineage cells and is also expressed on the surface of B-cells during advance stages of differentiation. The potential therapeutic use of CD22 as a regulatory molecule that prevents the overactivation of the immune system, it may be useful in diagnostic and/or treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and certain autoimmune conditions