Molecular cloning and expression of T11 cDNAs reveal a receptor-like structure on human T lymphocytes.

The T11 (CD2) sheep-erythrocyte-binding protein is a T-cell surface molecule involved in activation of T lymphocytes and thymocytes, including those lacking the T3-Ti antigen-receptor complex. The primary structure of T11 was deduced from protein microsequencing and cDNA cloning. The mature human protein appears to be divided into three domains: a hydrophilic 185 amino acid external domain bearing only limited homology to the T-cell surface protein T4 and the immunoglobulin kappa light chain variable region, a 25 amino acid hydrophobic transmembrane segment, and a 126 amino acid cytoplasmic domain rich in prolines and basic residues. Transfection of cDNAs encoding either the 1.7- or the 1.3-kilobase T11 mRNA into COS-1 cells resulted in expression of surface T11 epitopes as well as sheep-erythrocyte-binding capacity. The predicted structure is consistent with the possibility that T11 functions in signal transduction.