Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Determination of Lipid Raft Partitioning of Fluorescently-tagged Probes in Living Cells by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)
Published on: April 6, 2012
Functional role of lipid rafts in CD20 activity?
Eva Janas1, Richard Priest, Rajneesh Malhotra
1Rheumatoid Arthritis Biology, RI-CEDD, Medicines Research Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnel's Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2NY, U.K. eva.x.janas@gsk.com
Abstract:
CD20 is a B-lymphocyte-specific integral membrane protein, implicated in the regulation of transmembrane calcium conductance, cell-cycle progression and B-lymphocyte proliferation. CD20 is proposed to function as a SOCC (store-operated calcium channel). SOCCs are activated by receptor-stimulated calcium depletion of intracellular stores. Sustained calcium conductivity across the plasma membrane mediated by SOCC activity is required for long-term calcium-dependent processes, such as transcriptional control and gene expression. Cross-linking of CD20 by antibodies (e.g. Rituxan) has been reported to induce a rapid redistribution of CD20 into specialized microdomains at the plasma membrane, known as lipid rafts. Recruitment of CD20 into lipid rafts and its homo-oligomerization are suggested to be crucial for CD20 activity and regulation. This review outlines recent biochemical studies characterizing the role of CD20 in calcium signalling in B-lymphocytes and evaluates an engagement of lipid rafts in the regulation of CD20-mediated calcium conductivity.
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Rab Cascades
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
Rab Proteins
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

