Trisha Shetty (Editor)

CD1D

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Species
  
Human

Entrez
  
912

Human
  
Mouse

Ensembl
  
ENSG00000158473

CD1D

Aliases
  
CD1D, CD1A, R3, R3G1, CD1d molecule

External IDs
  
OMIM: 188410 MGI: 107674 HomoloGene: 1337 GeneCards: CD1D

CD1D is the human gene that encodes the protein CD1d, a member of the CD1 (cluster of differentiation 1) family of glycoproteins expressed on the surface of various human antigen-presenting cells. They are non-classical MHC proteins, related to the class I MHC proteins, and are involved in the presentation of lipid antigens to T cells. CD1d is the only member of the group 2 CD1 molecules.

Contents

Biological significance

CD1d-presented lipid antigens activate a special class of T cells, known as natural killer T (NKT) cells, through the interaction with the T-cell receptor present on NKT membranes. When activated, NKT cells rapidly produce Th1 and Th2 cytokines, typically represented by interferon-gamma and interleukin 4 production.

Nomenclature

CD1d is also known as R3G1

Ligands

Some of the known ligands for CD1d are:

  • α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a compound originally derived from the marine sponge Agelas mauritanius with no physiological role but great research utility.
  • α-glucuronyl- and α-galacturonyl- ceramides, a family of compounds of microbial origin which can be found, for example, on the cell wall of Sphingomonas, a ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium. The related β-D-glucopyranosylceramide is accumulated in antigen-presenting cells after infection, where it serves to activate invariant NKTs (iNKTs), a special kind of NKT.
  • iGb3, a self antigen which has been implied in iNKT selection.
  • HS44, a synthetic amino cyclitolic ceramide analogue which has less contact with the TCR, activating iNKTs in a more constrained way than α-GalCer (specially in relation to Th2 cytokines production) and thus being more interesting for therapeutic use.

    • CD1d tetramers

    CD1d tetramers are protein constructs composed of four CD1d molecules joined together and usually fluorescently labelled, used to identify NKT cells or other CD1d-reactive cells. In particular, type I NKT cells and some type II NKT cells are stained by them. A differentiation of these two types can be obtained in human by using an antibody against the TCR Vα24 chain, which is specific of type I NKT cells.

    Although they are the most widely used of CD1d oligomers, sometimes CD1d dimers (two units) or pentamers (five units) are used instead.

    References

    CD1D Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA