The cutaneous lymphocyte antigen is an essential component of the L-selectin ligand induced on human vascular endothelial cells.

L-selectin mediates leukocyte rolling on vascular endothelium during inflammation. Although vascular endothelium can be activated with inflammatory cytokines to express functional L-selectin ligands, these ligands have not been well characterized. In this study, fucosyltransferase VII cDNA (Fuc-TVII) transfection of the EA.hy926 human vascular endothelial cell line (926-FtVII) induced functional L-selectin ligand expression and expression of sialyl Lewisx (sLex), as defined by HECA-452 (cutaneous lymphocyte antigen; CLA) and CSLEX-1 mAbs. Cytokine activation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) also induced functional L-selectin ligand expression, with increased CLA expression and Fuc-TVII transcription. The majority of L-selectin-dependent lymphocyte attachment to activated HUVEC and 926-FtVII cells was blocked specifically by treating the endothelial cells with the HECA-452 mAb, but not the CSLEX-1 mAb. CLA-bearing ligands on vascular endothelium also required sulfation and appropriate molecular scaffolds for functional activity, but were distinct from the L-selectin ligands previously identified by the MECA-79 mAb. These findings demonstrate that the HECA-452- defined antigen, CLA, is an essential carbohydrate component of vascular L-selectin ligands.