CD57 (4G2) monoclonal antibody

Over 100 cell surface markers have been identified through the use of monoclonal antibodies. Many of these markers have proven useful in identifying a specific subpopulation of cells within a mixed colony. Accordingly, these molecules have been assigned a “cluster of differentiation” (CD) designation. T lymphocytes displaying the natural killer (NK) cell marker CD57 (also designated Leu7) on their cell surface are distinguishable from other T cell subsets by their granular lymphocyte morphology and their clonal expansion in patients with AIDS and in recipients of bone marrow transplantation. CD57-positive cells have also been shown to localize to sites of certain tumors and large numbers of these cells are detected in the synovial fluid from patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.