Carlos Cabañas
Published: 2019-10-09
Total Pages: 144
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Tetraspanins are small (20-50 kDa) integral membrane proteins with four transmembrane domains that have an intrinsic propensity to associate with other membrane proteins and lipids giving rise to the formation of specific tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs), also referred to as “The tetraspanin web”. In mammals, the tetraspanin family comprises of 33 different members, with the majority of the members being abundantly expressed in almost all cell types, including leukocytes which are responsible for innate and adaptive immunity as well as in other cells that play pivotal roles in immune responses, such as endothelial or stromal cells. Therefore, through the wide range of specific molecular interactions in which they are engaged, tetraspanins influence many processes of up-most relevance in the development, physiology and pathology of the immune system, including the control of immune cell morphology, signaling, adhesion, migration, invasion, fusion, infections and cancer.