cDNA cloning and sequence of MAL, a hydrophobic protein associated with human T-cell differentiation.

We have isolated a human cDNA that is expressed in the intermediate and late stages of T-cell differentiation. The cDNA encodes a highly hydrophobic protein, termed MAL, that lacks a hydrophobic leader peptide sequence and contains four potential transmembrane domains separated by short hydrophilic segments. The predicted configuration of the MAL protein resembles the structure of integral proteins that form pores or channels in the plasma membrane and that are believed to act as transporters of water-soluble molecules and ions across the lipid bilayer. The presence of MAL mRNA in a panel of T-cell lines that express both the T-cell receptor and the T11 antigen suggests that MAL may be involved in membrane signaling in T cells activated via either T11 or T-cell receptor pathways.