Participation in Normal Immune Responses of a Metastasis-Inducing Splice Variant of CD44

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1496383
• Publication Date: 2006-10-05T23:03:06Z
• Authors: Robert Arch; Karin Wirth; Martin Hofmann; Helmut Ponta; Siegfried Matzku; Peter Herrlich; Margot Zöller
• Keywords: info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/570; 570; B-Lymphocytes; Base Sequence; biology; T-Lymphocytes; Molecular Sequence Data; Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Genetic Variation; DNA; Blotting, Northern; Lymphocyte Activation; Life sciences; Rats; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Animals; ddc:570; Neoplasm Metastasis

A variant of the glycoprotein CD44 (CD44v) that shares sequences with variants causally involved in metastasis formation is transiently expressed on B and T lymphocytes and macrophages after antigenic stimulation and in the postnatal period. Antibodies to the variant hinder in vivo activation of both B and T cells. The observation that a protein domain that is expressed on CD44 and required for the lymphatic spread of tumor cells can catalyze an essential step in the process of lymphocyte activation supports the idea that metastasizing tumor cells mimic lymphocyte behavior.