Retinoic acid early transcript 1L (RAET1L) is a cell surface

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 ...

encoded by ''RAET1L'' gene located on the chromosome 6. RAET1L is related to MHC class I molecules, but its gene maps outside the MHC locus. RAET1L is composed of the α1α2 domain and is linked to the cell membrane by the

GPI anchor Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (), or glycophosphatidylinositol, or GPI in short, is a phosphoglyceride that can be attached to the C-terminus of a protein during posttranslational modification. The resulting GPI-anchored proteins play key roles in ...

. It functions as a stress-induced ligand for

NKG2D NKG2D is an activating receptor (transmembrane protein) belonging to the NKG2 family of C-type lectin, C-type lectin-like receptors. NKG2D is encoded by ''KLRK1'' (killer cell lectin like receptor K1) gene which is located in the NK-gene complex ...

receptor. Its expression is, for example, triggered in course of

HCMV ''Human betaherpesvirus 5'', also called human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), is species of virus in the genus ''Cytomegalovirus'', which in turn is a member of the viral family known as ''Herpesviridae'' or herpesviruses. It is also commonly called ...

infection, but

alters its function. HCMV-encoded UL16 glycoprotein retains ULBP6 inside the cells, preventing it from reaching the cell surface and being exposed to cells of the immune system.

References

Genes Glycoproteins {{gene-6-stub