Description
CD80 is a highly glycosylated 60 kD protein that is part of the Ig superfamily and is significantly involved in immune cell activation in response to pathogens. CD80 is closely related to, and works in tandem with CD86 (B7-2) to prime T- cells. CD80 binds to CTLA-4 to deliver an inhibitory signal to T cells. The ligation of CD28 on T cells with CD80 and CD86 on APCs co-stimulates T cells resulting in enhanced cell activation, proliferation, and cytokine production. It is thought that CD80 interacts with a ligand on Natural Killer cells, activating the Natural Killer cell-mediated cell death of the CD80 carrier. The activation of Natural Killer cell-mediated death via CD80 interactions has potential as a possible cancer immunotherapy through the induction of CD80 expression on tumor cells