CD2 Products

Description

CD2, also known as sheep red blood cell receptor (SRBC-R), erythrocyte receptor, LFA-2, and T11, is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that is expressed on the surface of T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, thymocytes, and dendritic cells (1,2). CD2 is a member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily and a costimulatory receptor that functions in formation of the immunological synapse and T cell activation and signaling (1). The human CD2 protein is 351 amino acids in length with a theoretical molecular weight of ~40 kDa, but a fully glycosylated protein can weight closer to 50 kDa (1,3). The CD2 protein contains a signal sequence, an extracellular domain (ECD) composed of an Ig-like V-type domain followed by an Ig-like C-type domain, a transmembrane helical domain, and a proline-rich cytoplasmic tail (1,3). CD2 binds with CD58, also called LFA-3, which is a surface glycoprotein expressed by antigen presenting cells (APCs) and other target cells (1,2). While CD58 is the primary ligand for CD2 in humans, it also interacts with CD59 and CD48, albeit with lower affinity (1,2). However, in mice and rats which lack CD58 the main ligand for CD2 is CD48 (4). Research has found that when there is no direct interaction, CD2 co-immunoprecipitates with the T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex (1). CD2 is an adhesion molecule with a variety of functions including actin cytoskeleton rearrangement, immunological synapse formation through T cell-APC binding, thymocyte development and T cell activation, and NK cell activation (1,2). The immunological synapse forms upon T cell-APC engagement and creates a contact zone of supramolecule activation clusters (SMACs) where CD2-CD58 is part of the central SMAC (cSMAC) (2).

The CD2-CD58 interaction has been shown to play a role in anti-tumor immune response, where reduced CD58 signaling is associated with immune escape of tumor cells in various hematological and lymphoid malignancies, but restoration of the signal promotes an anti-tumor response (2,5). Additionally, following cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, CD2's binding to upregulated CD58 on CMV-infected cells is crucial for the activation and function of adaptive NK cells in the anti-viral response (2). In contrast, in situations where there is an increase in T cell and NK cell activation, like various autoimmune disorders or following organ transplant, costimulatory blockade of CD2-CD58 may be a potential therapeutic treatment approach (1). Mouse and rat xenograft models have shown that blocking the CD2 using anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies contributes to graft survival and protects against lymphocyte infiltration and inflammatory damage (2).

References

1. Binder C, Cvetkovski F, Sellberg F, et al. CD2 Immunobiology. Front Immunol. 2020;11:1090. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01090

2. Zhang Y, Liu Q, Yang S, Liao Q. CD58 Immunobiology at a Glance. Front Immunol. 2021;12:705260. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.705260

3. Uniprot (P06729)

4. van der Merwe PA. A subtle role for CD2 in T cell antigen recognition. J Exp Med. 1999;190(10):1371-1374. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.190.10.1371

5. Nishikori M, Kitawaki T, Tashima M, Shimazu Y, Mori M, et al. Diminished CD2 Expression in T cells Permits Tumor Immune Escape. J Clin Cell Immunol. 2016;7:406. https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-9899.1000406

Bioinformatics

Entrez	12481 Mouse 497761 Rat 914 Human
Uniprot	AAH33583 Human NM_001767 Human NP_001758 Human P06729 Human
Product By Gene ID	914
Alternate Names	CD2 antigen (p50), sheep red blood cell receptor CD2 antigen CD2 molecule Erythrocyte receptor FLJ46032 LFA-2 LFA-3 receptor lymphocyte-function antigen-2 Rosette receptor SRBC T11 T-cell surface antigen CD2 T-cell surface antigen T11/Leu-5

Research Areas for CD2

Find related products by research area and learn more about each of the different research areas below.

Adaptive Immunity
Apoptosis
CD Markers
Immunology