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Mouse brain CD4 transcripts encode only the COOH-terminal half of the protein.
N Lonberg1, S N Gettner, E Lacy
1DeWitt Wallace Research Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021.
Molecular and Cellular Biology
|May 1, 1988
Summary
Unique CD4 transcripts found in mouse brain tissue suggest a potential role for this T-cell protein in the central nervous system. Researchers determined the structure of this brain-specific CD4 message, revealing a truncated protein.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The T-cell surface glycoprotein CD4 acts as a receptor for class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules.
- CD4 is also the primary receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
- HIV infection in the central nervous system (CNS) suggests CD4 might be present in neural tissue and involved in CNS function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and structure of CD4-related transcripts in brain tissue.
- To determine the potential role of CD4 in the central nervous system.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of unique CD4-related transcripts detected in mouse and human brain tissue.
- Determination of the precise structure of the mouse brain CD4 transcript.
Main Results:
- A unique CD4 transcript was identified in mouse brain tissue.
- This transcript is identical to the latter two-thirds of the standard CD4 message.
- It encodes a truncated protein (217 residues) comprising the cell surface, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions of CD4, lacking the leader peptide.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the presence of CD4-related molecules in the brain.
- A truncated form of CD4 may be expressed in neural tissue.
- This suggests a potential, previously unrecognized function for CD4 within the central nervous system.