CD90 Human

Thy-1 was first discovered in 1964 by Reif and Allen during their search for heterologous antisera against mouse leukemia cells. It was initially identified as a thymocyte antigen and was named theta (θ) antigen. Later, it was renamed Thy-1 (THYmocyte differentiation antigen 1) due to its identification in thymocytes .

Thy-1 is a 25-37 kDa protein that is heavily N-glycosylated. It is expressed on the surface of various cell types, including thymocytes, T lymphocytes, neuronal cells, and stem cells. The protein has a single V-like immunoglobulin domain and is anchored to the cell membrane via a GPI anchor .

Thy-1 is involved in several critical biological functions:

• Neurite Outgrowth: It plays a role in the development and regeneration of neurons.
• T Cell Activation: Thy-1 is involved in the activation of T cells, which are essential for the adaptive immune response.
• Tumor Suppression: It has been implicated in the suppression of tumor growth.
• Apoptosis: Thy-1 is involved in the regulation of programmed cell death.
• Fibrosis: It plays a role in the development of fibrosis in various tissues .

Recent studies have shown that Thy-1 plays a crucial role in the initial stage of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. It mediates HCMV infection at the entry step and is important for infection that occurs at a low multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.). Thy-1 interacts with HCMV glycoproteins gB and gH, forming a complex that is important for virus entry .

Thy-1 is used as a marker for various stem cells and is involved in the identification and isolation of these cells for research and therapeutic purposes. Its role in T cell activation and tumor suppression makes it a potential target for immunotherapy and cancer treatment .

Recombinant Thy-1 is produced using recombinant DNA technology, which allows for the expression of the protein in various host systems. This recombinant form is used in research to study the protein’s function and its role in various biological processes.