CD37

Leukocyte antigen CD37 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CD37 gene.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily, also known as the tetraspanin family. Most of these members are cell-surface proteins that are characterized by the presence of four hydrophobic transmembrane domains. Tetraspanins mediate signal transduction events that play a role in the regulation of immune responses, cell development, activation, growth and motility. CD37 expression is restricted to cells of the immune system, with highest abundance on mature B cells, and lower expression is found on T cells and myeloid cells. CD37 is a cell surface glycoprotein that is known to complex with integrins and other transmembrane 4 superfamily proteins. Alternate splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms. CD37 controls both humoral and cellular immune responses. CD37-deficiency in mice leads to spontaneous development on B cell lymphoma, and patients with CD37-negative lymphomas have a worse clinical outcome.

See also

• Cluster of differentiation

External links

• CD37+protein,+human at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
• Human CD37 genome location and CD37 gene details page in the UCSC Genome Browser.

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.