Anti-Human CD8 (Clone SK1) - PE (C3364-GRP)

CD8 is an integral membrane protein essential to immune response that acts as a co-receptor for the MHC class I molecule: peptide complex1. CD8 recruits the Src kinase LCK to the vicinity of the TCR-CD3 complex, leading to activation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes which recognize and eliminate infected cells and tumor cells. CD8+ T cell differentiation is tightly regulated, and the T cell response depends on the antigen encounter. Immune response to acute infection,autoimmunity, graft vs host disease, tumors, chronic infection, and self-tolerance are all affected by CD8+ T cells2. When expressed on thymus-derived T cells, CD8 molecules are seen as CD8α/CD8β heterodimers, while they are CD8α homodimers when expressed on intraepithelial lymphocytes from the gut, CD8+ dendritic cells3, or a subset of human natural killer cells4. Gene expression is closely regulated with CD4, with expression of CD4 and CD8 used to distinguish the four major stages of T cell development4. SK1 blocks MHC-peptide tetramer binding to the TCR, and the effect is not due to steric hindrance5,6. SK1 is commonly used as a marker in flow cytometry experiments5,7-12.