Search

Susceptibility to autoimmunity in B6.Sle1b mice is associated with extensive polymorphisms between two divergent haplotypes of the SLAM/CD2 family of genes. The B6.Sle1b-derived SLAM/CD2 family haplotype is found in many other laboratory mouse strains but only causes autoimmunity in the context of the C57Bl/6 (B6) genome. Phenotypic analyses have revealed variations in the structure and expression of several members of the SLAM/CD2 family in T and B lymphocytes from B6.Sle1b mice. T lymphocytes from B6.Sle1b mice have modified signaling responses to stimulation at 4-6 weeks of age. While autoimmunity may be mediated by a combination of genes in the SLAM/CD2 family cluster, the strongest candidate is Ly108, a specific isoform of which is constitutively upregulated in B6.Sle1b lymphocytes.

A novel lymphocyte-specific immunoglobulin superfamily protein (19A) has been cloned. The predicted 335-amino-acid sequence of 19A represents a Type 1 membrane protein with homology with the CD2 family of receptors. A molecular model of the two predicted extracellular immunoglobulin-like domains of 19A has been generated using the crystal structure of CD2 as a template. In isolated lymphocytes, expression of 19A is induced by various activation stimuli, and enforced expression of the 19A gene promotes homotypic cell adhesion in a B-cell-line model. Collectively these data imply that the 19A protein plays a role in regulation of lymphocyte adhesion.

The SLAM family of human genes currently consists of seven related members of the immunoglobulin superfamily, membrane-associated proteins, including CD150 (SLAM), CD244 (2B4), CD84, CD229 ( Ly-9), BLAME, CD48, and 19A. These genes are expressed to varying degrees in subsets of immune cells (T, B, natural killer, and myeloid cells) and may function as ligands or receptors. This set of genes, related to CD2 and CD58 on Chromosome (Chr) 1p98, are found clustered close together in the human genome on Chr 1q22. Four of these family members (CD150, CD244, CD84, CD229) contain conserved tyrosine motifs in their cytoplasmic tails that enable them to bind intracellular signaling molecules SAP and EAT-2. SAP is mutated in human X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP), and studies in XLP patients have shown that improper signaling via molecules that bind SAP contributes to the disease. We have identified two new members of the SLAM family (SF), which we term SF2000 and SF2001, which are expressed in immune cells and map in the SLAM gene cluster. SF2001 does not contain SAP-binding motifs in its short cytoplasmic tail. SF2000, which is co-expressed with SAP in T cells, binds both SAP and EAT-2. The data suggest that signaling through SF2000, together with CD150, CD244, CD84, and CD229, is controlled by SAP and therefore contributes to the pathogenesis of XLP.

Background: Are folding pathways conserved in protein families? To test this explicitly and ask to what extent structure specifies folding pathways requires comparison of proteins with a common fold. Our strategy is to choose members of a highly diverse protein family with no conservation of function and little or no sequence identity, but with structures that are essentially the same. The immunoglobulin-like fold is one of the most common structural families, and is subdivided into superfamilies with no detectable evolutionary or functional relationship., Results: We compared the folding of a number of immunoglobulin-like proteins that have a common structural core and found a strong correlation between folding rate and stability. The results suggest that the folding pathways of these immunoglobulin-like proteins share common features., Conclusions: This study is the first to compare the folding of structurally related proteins that are members of different superfamilies. The most likely explanation for the results is that interactions that are important in defining the structure of immunoglobulin-like proteins are also used to guide folding.

Domain 1 of CD2 (CD2.D1) forms a conventional Ig fold stabilised by non-covalent antiparallel contacts between beta-strands. Removing two residues from the middle of the protein sequence, where the polypeptide chain normally folds back upon itself, stabilises an open conformation. In this modified molecule, the optimum evolved contacts between side-chains can only be satisfied through the antiparallel association of two chains to create a symmetrical pair of pseudo-domains. Here, we describe the dynamics of the switch between monomeric and dimeric states and demonstrate the extension of this novel underlying principle to trimer and tetramer formation. The ability of a protein molecule to form higher-order antiparallel structures is reminiscent of the behaviour of hairpins, duplexes, three-way and Holliday junctions in DNA., (Copyright 1999 Academic Press.)

The evolutionary success of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) is thought to reflect the ability of IgSF protein domains to form stable structural units. The role of glycosylation in stabilizing these domains is controversial, however. In this study a systematic analysis of the effect of glycosylation on the ligand-binding properties of the cell-cell recognition molecule CD2, which consists of two IgSF domains, was undertaken. A form of human soluble CD2 (hsCD2) with single N-acetylglucosamine residues at each glycosylation site was produced by inhibiting glucosidase I with N-butyldeoxynojirimycin during expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells and digesting the expressed hsCD2 with endoglycosidase H. The ligand and antibody binding properties of this form of hsCD2 were indistinguishable from those of fully glycosylated hsCD2 as determined by surface plasmon resonance analyses. The protein also formed diffraction quality crystals and analysis of the 2.5-A resolution crystal structure indicated that the single N-acetylglucosamine residue present on domain 1 is unlikely to stabilize the ligand binding face of hsCD2. A second, fully deglycosylated form of hsCD2 also bound the ligand and antibodies although this form of the protein tended to aggregate. In contrast to the results of previous studies, the current data indicate that the structural integrity and ligand binding function of human CD2 are glycosylation-independent.