CTLA-4

By Jennifer Jones, M.S.

The immune system is composed of a portion of T cells that express an invariant T cell receptor (TCR) alpha chain known as V alpha 24 J alpha 18. These highly conserved populations are referred to as iNKT populations and have the ability to rapidly produce cytokines following activation, making them hot targets for therapeutic research initiatives.

Here at Bio-Techne we always look forward to the annual announcements of winners of the highly coveted Nobel Prize – the greatest award in science. How can you go about predicting which scientists might be in line for a life-changing phone-call from the Nobel Committee?

Well, looking at citations is one possible approach.

CD86 belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily of proteins that drive innate and adaptive immune responses. It is an 80kD co-stimulatory molecule for the priming and activation of naive and memory T-cells, respectively. CD86 is expressed on activated B- and T- cells, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, and astrocytes.