Anti-CD8 (alpha chain), clone C8/1779R (recombinant antibody)

0.2 mg/ml in 1X PBS with 0.1 mg/ml BSA (US sourced) and 0.05% sodium azide. CD8 is a cell surface receptor expressed either as a heterodimer with the CD8 beta chain (CD8 alpha/beta) or as a homodimer (CD8 alpha/alpha). A majority of thymocytes and a subpopulation of mature T cells and NK cells express CD8a. CD8 binds to MHC class 1 and through its association with protein tyrosine kinase p56lck plays a role in T cell development and activation of mature T cells. For mature T-cells, CD4 and CD8 are mutually exclusive, so anti-CD8, generally used in conjunction with anti-CD4. It is a useful marker for distinguishing helper/inducer T-lymphocytes, and most peripheral T-cell lymphomas are CD4+/CD8-. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is usually CD4+ and CD8-, and in T-lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia, CD4 and CD8 are often co-expressed. CD8 is also found in littoral cell angioma of the spleen. Protein function: Identifies cytotoxic/suppressor T-cells that interact with MHC class I bearing targets. CD8 is thought to play a role in the process of T-cell mediated killing. CD8 alpha chains binds to class I MHC molecules alpha-3 domains. [The UniProt Consortium]