Recognizes a protein of 55kDa, identified as CD4. It is a membrane glycoprotein of T lymphocytes that interacts with major histocompatibility complex class II antigens and is also a receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus. This protein is expressed not only in T lymphocytes, but also in B cells, macrophages, and granulocytes. It is also expressed in specific regions of the brain. The protein functions to initiate or aµgment the early phase of T-cell activation, and may function as an important mediator of indirect neuronal damage in infectious and immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system. The majority of peripheral T-cell lymphomas are derived from the T-helper/regulatory cell subset so that most mature T-cell neoplasms are CD4+/CD8-. Anti-CD4 is used in the immunohistochemical staining of lymphoproliferative disorders to evaluate tumors with CD4 aberrant expression.
