Anti-CD161 (Clone: ABM27F5)

CD161 is the human equivalent of mouse NK cell receptor P1A. It is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein with characteristics of the C-type lectin superfamily. The expression confines to lymphocytes found in human gut and liver, as well as blood, especially NK (natural killer) cells, Th17 (T helper 17) cells, and a population of unconventional T cells known as MAIT (mucosal-associated invariant T) cells. CD161 promotes T cell expansion and eventually has been identified as a marker of human IL-17-producing T cells. It plays a pivotal role in trans-endothelial migration and is also implicated in the pathogenesis of RA (rheumatoid arthritis) as well as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Protein function: Plays an inhibitory role on natural killer (NK) cells cytotoxicity. Activation results in specific acid sphingomyelinase/SMPD1 stimulation with subsequent marked elevation of intracellular ceramide. Activation also leads to AKT1/PKB and RPS6KA1/RSK1 kinases stimulation as well as markedly enhanced T-cell proliferation induced by anti-CD3. Acts as a lectin that binds to the terminal carbohydrate Gal-alpha(1,3)Gal epitope as well as to the N-acetyllactosamine epitope. Binds also to CLEC2D/LLT1 as a ligand and inhibits NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity as well as interferon-gamma secretion in target cells. [The UniProt Consortium]