CD81 Antibody

CD81 is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily, also known as the tetraspanin family, a group of cell-surface proteins that are characterized by the presence of four hydrophobic domains and mediate signal transduction events that play a role in the regulation of cell development, activation, growth and motility. CD81 is a cell surface glycoprotein that associates with integrins and appears to promote muscle cell fusion and support myotube maintenance. Along with SCARB1, LDL-R, and CLDN1, CD81 has been reported to be an entry factor for the Hepatitis C virus. Finally, recent evidence indicates that the CD81 gene is localized in a tumor-suppressor gene region and is thus a candidate gene for malignancies.