Abstract
IMMUNOGLOBULINS, predominantly 7S IgM molecules (molecular weight ∼ 200,000), are associated with the plasma membranes of lymphocytes1–3 and considerable evidence suggests that these proteins function as receptors for antigen4–6. If these molecules are themselves integral parts of the lymphocyte membrane or are strongly associated with integral proteins they may transmit antigen-induced signals through the membrane and initiate cell activation. It has been proposed that the antigen-combining site of T cell IgM protrudes from the cell surface, but that the Fc portion bearing the characteristic antigenic determinants of the heavy chain is not accessible to large molecules in the solvent2,7. If these proposals are correct, then surface immunoglobulin of T cells might be considered an integral constituent of the plasma membrane8.
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HAUSTEIN, D., MARCHALONIS, J. & CRUMPTON, M. Immunoglobulin of T lymphoma cells is an integral membrane protein. Nature 252, 602–604 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/252602a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/252602a0
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