Many of the immunoglobulin superfamily domains in cell adhesion molecules and surface receptors belong to a new structural set which is close to that containing variable domains.

On the basis of similarities in sequence and structure, the protein domains that form the immunoglobulin superfamily have been divided into three sets: one with variable-like domains, the V set, and two with different variants of the constant-like domains, the C1 and C2 sets. Examination of a muscle member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, telokin, shows that its structure is closely related to those of the variable domains found in antibodies, CD2, CD4 and CD8. However, it also contains structural features that, previously, have only been found in constant domains. Telokin represents a new structural set in the superfamily which we call the I set. Using the structures of telokin, and variable domains from antibodies, CD4 and CD8, we constructed a profile that describes the sequence characteristics of the structural core common to those proteins. This sequence profile makes a good match to the sequences of many of the immunoglobulin superfamily domains that form the cell adhesion molecules and surface receptors. This match implies that these domains also have structures that belong to the I set.