CD99 antigen (
Cluster of differentiation
The cluster of differentiation (also known as cluster of designation or classification determinant and often abbreviated as CD) is a protocol used for the identification and investigation of cell surface molecules providing targets for immunophen ...
99), also known as MIC2 or single-chain type-1
glycoprotein
Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycos ...
, is a heavily O-glycosylated transmembrane
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
that is encoded by the ''CD99''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
in humans.
The protein has a mass of 32 kD. Unusually for a gene present on the
X chromosome
The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes (allosomes) in many organisms, including mammals (the other is the Y chromosome), and is found in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and XO sex-d ...
, the CD99 gene does not undergo
X inactivation
X-inactivation (also called Lyonization, after English geneticist Mary Lyon) is a process by which one of the copies of the X chromosome is inactivated in therian female mammals. The inactive X chromosome is silenced by being packaged into a ...
, and it was the first such
pseudoautosomal gene to be discovered in humans.
Expression
It is expressed on all
leukocytes
White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...
but highest on
thymocytes
A Thymocyte is an immune cell present in the thymus, before it undergoes transformation into a T cell. Thymocytes are produced as stem cells in the bone marrow and reach the thymus via the blood. Thymopoiesis describes the process which turns thymo ...
and is believed to augment
T-cell
A T cell is a type of lymphocyte. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell rec ...
adhesion
Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another ( cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles/surfaces to cling to one another).
The forces that cause adhesion and cohesion can be ...
and
apoptosis
Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes incl ...
of double positive T cells.
It has been found in endothelial cells and in the periodontium, including gingival fibroblasts and gingival epithelial cells.
It also participates in
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
and activation.
There is also experimental evidence that it binds to
cyclophilin A
Peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA), also known as cyclophilin A (CypA) or rotamase A is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PPIA'' gene on chromosome 7. As a member of the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) family, this protein ca ...
.
It is found on the cell surface of
Ewing's sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about ...
tumors
and is positive in
granulosa cell tumor
Granulosa cell tumours are tumours that arise from granulosa cells. They are estrogen secreting tumours and present as large, complex, ovarian masses. These tumours are part of the sex cord-gonadal stromal tumour or non-epithelial group of tumours ...
s.
It is more expressed in malignant gliomas than in the brain, and such overexpression results in higher levels of invasiveness and lower rates of survival.
Antibodies to CD99 are used in diagnostic
immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the most common application of immunostaining. It involves the process of selectively identifying antigens (proteins) in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to an ...
to distinguish Ewing's sarcoma from other tumours of similar histological appearance, as well as for the identification of
thymic
The thymus is a specialized primary Lymphatic system#Structure, lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, T cell, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body ada ...
tumours, and of spindle cell tumours, such as
synovial sarcoma
A synovial sarcoma (also known as malignant synovioma) is a rare form of cancer which occurs primarily in the extremities of the arms or legs, often in proximity to joint capsules and tendon sheaths. It is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma.
The name " ...
,
haemangiopericytoma, and
meningioma
Meningioma, also known as meningeal tumor, is typically a slow-growing tumor that forms from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms depend on the location and occur as a result of the tumor pressing o ...
.
[ EWS/FLI is thought to regulate CD99, but knockdown of EWS/FLI results in only a modest reduction in CD99. When CD99 expression is knocked down in human cells with Ewing's sarcoma and those cells are grafted onto mice, tumor and bone metastasis development is reduced.]
Prognostic Value
In patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with the germinal center B-cell (GCB, classified according to the Muris algorithm) subtype, positive expression of CD99 resulted in better 2-year event free survival (EFS) and 2-year overall survival (OS) compared to negative expression of CD99. In patients with DLBCL with non-GCB, however, negative expression of CD99 resulted in better 2-year EFS and 2-year OS.
Interactions
There is evidence that through suppressing β1 integrin affinity, CD99 inhibits cell-extracellular matrix adhesion.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{Clusters of differentiation
Clusters of differentiation