Fol. Biol. 2001, 47, 215-217
New Monoclonal Antibodies Recognizing the Adaptor Protein LAT
LAT, the linker for activation of T cells, is a 36-38 kDa transmembrane signalling adaptor protein expressed exclusively on T lymphocytes, NK cells, mast cells, megakaryocytes and platelets. The molecule consists of a short, 5 amino acid extracellular stretch, and a transmembrane helix followed by a cytoplasmic tail containing 9 conserved tyrosines. Though no modular protein-binding domains have been identified in LAT, several of the tyrosines lie within motifs predicted to bind important downstream signalling molecules (Weber et al, 1998; Zhang et al., 1998a). Due to post-translational palmitoylation of two membrane-proximal cysteins, LAT preferentially sublocalizes to lipid rafts, small regions of the plasma membrane distinct in lipid composition and enriched in signalling molecules (Zhang et al., 1998b).
Funding
This work was supported by grants 310/00/0205, 204/00/0204 and 312/96/K205 from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. The research of Petr Dráber was supported in part by an International Research Scholar's award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
References
Copyright
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