CD156 (human ADAM8): expression, primary amino acid sequence, and gene location

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• The murine cell-surface antigen MS2, also known as ADAM 8 or mouse CD156 (mCD156), is a transmembrane glycoprotein.
• mCD156 exhibits high expression in monocytic lineages and possesses an extracellular region with domains similar to hemorrhagic snake venom proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize the human CD156 gene.
• To investigate the expression patterns of human CD156 mRNA in various human cell types.
• To determine the sequence homology and chromosomal location of the human CD156 gene.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of human CD156 cDNA from THP-1 macrophage and human granulocyte cell line cDNA libraries.
• Detection of CD156 mRNA expression using Northern blot analysis or similar techniques.
• Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis and gene mapping to human chromosome 10q26.3.

Main Results:

• Human CD156 cDNA was successfully isolated.
• CD156 mRNA was detected in human macrophage, granulocyte, monocyte, and B cell lines, but not in T cell lines.
• The human CD156 nucleotide sequence showed 65.6% homology to mCD156, with high amino acid homology to snake venom proteins and other mammalian proteins.

Conclusions:

• The human CD156 gene encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein with significant sequence similarity to snake venom proteins.
• CD156 expression is restricted to myeloid and B cell lineages, suggesting a role in these cell types.
• The identification and characterization of human CD156 provide a basis for further functional studies and potential therapeutic applications.