Species Human Entrez 3683 | Human Mouse Ensembl ENSG00000005844 | |
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Aliases ITGAL, CD11A, LFA-1, LFA1A, integrin subunit alpha L External IDs MGI: 96606 HomoloGene: 1666 GeneCards: ITGAL | ||
Integrin, alpha L (antigen CD11A (p180), lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1; alpha polypeptide), also known as ITGAL, is a human gene which functions in the immune system. It is involved in cellular adhesion and costimulatory signaling. It is the target of the drug efalizumab.
Contents
Function
ITGAL encodes the integrin alpha L chain. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins composed of an alpha chain and a beta chain. This I-domain containing alpha integrin combines with the beta 2 chain (ITGB2) to form the integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), which is expressed on all leukocytes. LFA-1 plays a central role in leukocyte intercellular adhesion through interactions with its ligands, ICAMs 1-3 (intercellular adhesion molecules 1 through 3), and also functions in lymphocyte costimulatory signaling.
CD11a is one of the two components, along with CD18, which form lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1.
Efalizumab acted as an immunosuppressant by binding to CD11a, but was withdrawn in 2009 due to severe side effects being associated with the drug.
Interactions
CD11a has been shown to interact with ICAM-1.