CD8 alpha/CD8A, His, Human

CD8 alpha enhances the responses of antigen-specific CTL activated through TCR through binding MHC class I, favoring lipid raft partitioning of TCR, and inducing intracellular signaling. CD8 alpha is also found on dendritic cells and rat macrophages, but whether CD8 alpha enhances responses of a partner receptor, like TCR, to activate these cells is not known.