The highly glycosylated 75-120 kD antigen CD34 is possibly an adhesion molecule with a putative role in early hematopoiesis by mediating the attachment of stem cells to the bone marrow extracellular matrix or directly to stromal cells. It could act as a scaffold for the attachment of lineage specific glycans, allowing stem cells to bind to lectins expressed by stromal cells or other marrow components. CD34 is thought to have a role in presenting carbohydrate ligands to selectins. The intracellular chain of the CD34 antigen is a site of phosphorylation by activated protein kinase C, suggesting a putative role in signal transduction. Two isoforms of CD34 have been reported to be generated by alternative splicing. CD34 is highly expressed on hematopoietic progenitors, as well as on endothelial cells, brain, and testis. Staining for CD34 has been used to measure angiogenesis, which reportedly predicts tumor recurrence.
