Enhancement of T-cell activation by the CD43 molecule whose expression is defective in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

CD43 (sialophorin, leukosialin, leukocyte large sialoglyco-protein), a heavily sialylated molecule found on most leukocytes and platelets, was initially identified as a major glycoprotein of mouse, rat and human T cells^1-8. CD43 expression is defective on the T cells of males with the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, an X chromosome-linked recessive immunodeficiency disorder⁹. Affected males are susceptible to opportunistic infections and do not respond to polysaccharide antigens, reflecting defects in cytotoxic and helper T-cell functions. Anti-CD43 monoclonal antibodies have a modest costimulatory effect on T cells, natural killer cells, B cells and monocytes^10-14, and one such antibody has been shown to activate T cells directly¹⁵. To investigate a possible physiological role for CD43, a complementary DNA encoding the human protein^16,17 was introduced into an antigen-responsive murine T-cell hybridoma¹⁸. We observed that CD43 enhances the antigen-specific activation of T cells and that the intracellular domain of CD43, which is hyperphosphorylated during T-cell activation^19-21, is required for this function. We also found that antigen-presenting cells can bind specifically to immobilized purified CD43 and that the binding can be inhibited by liposomes containing CD43 as well as by anti-CD43 monoclonal antibodies.