Alexa Fluor^® 488 Mouse Anti-Human CD1a Antibody (HI149)

CD1a is a 49-kDa type I transmembrane glycoprotein of the non-polymorphic CD1 family that folds into three extracellular Ig-like domains (α1–α3) stabilized by disulfide bonds and a short cytoplasmic tail containing the YXXZ-based tyrosine motif that drives its trafficking from the plasma membrane to late endosomes, where at pH 4.5–5.5 it loads endogenous or microbial lipid/glycolipid antigens—such as sphingolipids, mycoketides, lipopeptides or sulfatides—into its narrow hydrophobic groove; these CD1a–lipid complexes are then recycled to the cell surface for surveying by clonotypically diverse αβ and γδ T cells (including TRAV1-2− MAIT cells, NKT subsets and autoreactive TCRs) whose activation contributes to thymic selection, skin immunity, peripheral tolerance and host defense against mycobacteria, while dysregulated CD1a expression on Langerhans cells and other dendritic cells fuels inflammatory skin disorders like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, making CD1a a diagnostic marker (clone O10) and emerging therapeutic target.