The M1/69 monoclonal antibody specifically binds to CD24 (Heat-Stable Antigen, HSA or HsAg), a variably glycosylated, glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane protein expressed on erythrocytes, granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, and neurons. Hematopoietic stem cells of the embryonic yolk sac and fetal liver express CD24. Levels of expression of CD24 vary during differentiation of the T and B cell lineages. In the bone marrow, hematopoietic progenitors acquire CD24 expression upon commitment to the B-lymphocyte lineage. Immature B cells in the bone marrow express low CD24 levels whereas peripheral B lymphocytes express intermediate to high levels of CD24. The level of CD24 expression has been reported to rise upon activation of splenic B cells with LPS, but not with CD154 (CD40 Ligand). The majority of thymocytes express high levels of CD24, while most mature thymic and peripheral T lymphocytes do not express CD24. In contrast, TCR-bearing thymocytes which emigrate to the spleen are CD24+. Dendritic cells of the thymus, spleen, liver, and epidermal Langerhans cells have also been reported to express CD24. CD24 is not expressed by NK cells, as determined by staining with J11d mAb (Cat. No. 553146). CD24 is involved in the costimulation of CD4+ T cells by B cells, it is a "co-inducer" of in vitro thymocyte maturation, and it is a ligand of CD62P (P-selectin). While the monoclonal antibodies 30-F1, M1/69, and J11d all react with CD24, they show subtle differences in the level of staining of different lymphocyte populations. When possible, investigators should continue to use the same monoclonal anti-CD24 antibody as used in previous studies.
