Recombinant Human CD200 Fc Chimera Protein, CF

CD200, also known as OX-2, is a 45 kDa transmembrane immunoregulatory protein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily (1, 2). The human CD200 cDNA encodes a 278 amino acid (aa) precursor that includes a 30 aa signal sequence, a 202 aa extracellular domain (ECD), a 27 aa transmembrane segment, and a 19 aa cytoplasmic domain. The ECD is composed of one Ig-like V-type domain and one Ig-like C2-type domain (3). A splice variant of CD200 has been described and has a truncated cytoplasmic tail. Within the ECD, human CD200 shares 76% aa sequence identity with mouse and rat CD200. CD200 is widely but not ubiquitously expressed (4). Its receptor (CD200R) is restricted primarily to mast cells, basophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells, which suggests myeloid cell regulation as the major function of CD200 (5-7). CD200 knockout mice are characterized by increased macrophage number and activation and are predisposed to autoimmune disorders (8). CD200 and CD200R associate via their respective N-terminal Ig-like domains (9). In myeloid cells, CD200R initiates inhibitory signals following receptor-ligand contact (6, 7, 10). In T cells, however, CD200 functions as a costimulatory molecule independent of the CD28 pathway (11). Several additional CD200R-like molecules have been identified in human and mouse, but their capacity to interact with CD200 is controversial (12, 13). Several viruses encode CD200 homologs which are expressed on infected cells during the lytic phase (14, 15). Like CD200 itself, viral CD200 homologs also suppress myeloid cell activity, enabling increased viral propagation (5, 14-16).