Cluster of Differentiation 86 (also known as CD86 and B7-2) is a
protein constitutively expressed on
dendritic cell
Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells (also known as ''accessory cells'') of the mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system. ...
s,
Langerhans cells,
macrophage
Macrophages (abbreviated as M φ, MΦ or MP) ( el, large eaters, from Greek ''μακρός'' (') = large, ''φαγεῖν'' (') = to eat) are a type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests pathogens, such as cancer cel ...
s,
B-cells
B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or ...
(including
memory B-cells), and on other
antigen-presenting cells
An antigen-presenting cell (APC) or accessory cell is a cell that displays antigen bound by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins on its surface; this process is known as antigen presentation. T cells may recognize these complexes using ...
. Along with
CD80, CD86 provides
costimulatory signals necessary for
T cell activation and survival. Depending on the
ligand bound, CD86 can signal for self-regulation and cell-cell association, or for attenuation of regulation and cell-cell disassociation.
The ''CD86''
gene encodes a
type I membrane protein that is a member of the
immunoglobulin superfamily.
Alternative splicing
Alternative splicing, or alternative RNA splicing, or differential splicing, is an alternative splicing process during gene expression that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins. In this process, particular exons of a gene may be ...
results in two transcript variants encoding different
isoforms. Additional transcript variants have been described, but their full-length sequences have not been determined.
Structure
CD86 belongs to the
B7 family of the immunoglobulin superfamily.
It is a 70
kDa glycoprotein
Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycos ...
made up of 329
amino acids. Both CD80 and CD86 share a conserved amino acid motif that forms their
ligand binding domain. CD86 consists of
Ig-like extracellular domains (one variable and one constant), a
transmembrane region and a short cytoplasmic domain that is longer than that of CD80. costimulatory ligands CD80 and CD86 can be found on professional antigen presenting cells such as
monocytes, dendritic cells, and even activated B-cells. They can also be induced on other cell types, for example T cells.
CD86 expression is more abundant compared to CD80, and upon its activation is CD86 increased faster than CD80.
At the protein level, CD86 shares 25% identity with CD80
and both are coded on human chromosome 3q13.33q21.
Role in co-stimulation, T-cell activation and inhibition
CD86 and CD80 bind as ligands to costimulatory molecule
CD28
CD28 (Cluster of Differentiation 28) is one of the proteins expressed on T cells that provide co-stimulatory signals required for T cell activation and survival. T cell stimulation through CD28 in addition to the T-cell receptor ( TCR) can provid ...
on the surface of all
naïve T cells, and to the inhibitory receptor
CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, also known as CD152). CD28 and CTLA-4 have important, but opposite roles in the stimulation of T cells. Binding to CD28 promotes T cell responses, while binding to CTLA-4 inhibits them.
The interaction between CD86 (
CD80) expressed on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell with
CD28
CD28 (Cluster of Differentiation 28) is one of the proteins expressed on T cells that provide co-stimulatory signals required for T cell activation and survival. T cell stimulation through CD28 in addition to the T-cell receptor ( TCR) can provid ...
on the surface of a mature, naive T-cell, is required for T-cell activation.
To become activated, lymphocyte must engage both antigen and costimulatory ligand on the same antigen-presenting cell.
T cell receptor (TCR) interacts with
major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules,
and this signalization must be accompanied by costimulatory signals, provided by a costimulatory ligand. These costimulatory signals are necessary to prevent
anergy and are provided by the interaction between CD80/CD86 and CD28 costimulatory molecule.
This protein interaction is also essential for T lymphocytes to receive the full activation signal, which in turn leads to T cell differentiation and division, production of
interleukin 2
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an interleukin, a type of cytokine signaling molecule in the immune system. It is a 15.5–16 kDa protein that regulates the activities of white blood cells (leukocytes, often lymphocytes) that are responsible for ...
and clonal expansion.
Interaction between CD86 and CD28 activates
mitogen-activated protein kinase
A mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MAP kinase) is a type of protein kinase that is specific to the amino acids serine and threonine (i.e., a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase). MAPKs are involved in directing cellular responses to ...
and transcription factor
nf-κB in the T-cell. These proteins up-regulate production of
CD40L (used in B-cell activation),
IL-21 and
IL-21R (used for division/proliferation), and
IL-2, among other cytokines.
The interaction also regulates self-tolerance by supporting the homeostatis of
CD4+CD25+ Tregulatory cell, also known as Tregs.
CTLA-4 is a coinhibitory molecule that is induced on activated T cells. Interaction between CTLA-4 and CD80/CD86 leads to delivery of negative signals into T cells and reduction of number of costimulatory molecules on the cell surface. It can also trigger a signaling pathway responsible for expression of enzyme
IDO (indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase). This enzyme can metabolize amino acid
tryptophan, which is an important component for successful proliferation and differentiation of T lymphocytes. IDO reduces the concentration of tryptophan in the environment, thereby suppressing the activation of conventional T cells, while also promoting the function of regulatory T cells.
Both CD80 and CD86 bind CTLA-4 with higher affinity than CD28. This allows CTLA-4 to outcompete CD28 for CD80/CD86 binding.
Between CD80 and CD86, CD80 appears to have a higher affinity for both CTLA-4 and CD28 than CD86. This suggest that CD80 is more potent ligand than CD86,
but studies using CD80 and CD86 knockout mice have shown that CD86 is more important in T cell activation than CD80.
Treg mediation

Pathways in the B7:CD28 family have key roles in the regulation of T cell activation and tolerance. Their negative second signals are responsible for downregulation of cell responses. For all these reasons are these pathways considered as therapeutic targets.
Regulatory T cells produce
CTLA-4. Due to its interaction with CD80/CD86, Tregs can compete with conventional T cells and block their costimulatory signals. Treg expression of CTLA-4 can effectively downregulate both CD80 and CD86 on APCs, suppress the immune response and lead to increased
anergy.
Since CTLA-4 binds to CD86 with higher affinity than CD28, the co-stimulation necessary for proper T-cell activation is also affected. It was shown in a work from Sagurachi group that Treg cells were able to downregulate CD80 and CD86, but not CD40 or MHC class II on DC in a way that was adhesion dependent. Downregulation was blocked by anti-CTLA-4 antibody and was cancelled if Treg cells were CTLA-4 deficient.
When bound to CTLA-4, CD86 can be removed from the surface of an APC and onto the Treg cell in a process called
trogocytosis
Trogocytosis ( gr, trogo; ''gnaw'') is when a cell nibbles another cell. It is a process whereby lymphocytes (B cell, B, T cell, T and Natural killer cell, NK cell (biology), cells) conjugated to antigen-presenting cells extract Cell surface molec ...
.
Blocking this process with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies is useful for a specific type of
cancer immunotherapy called "Cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation". Japanese immunologist
Tasuku Honjo and American immunologist
James P. Allison won the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2018 for their work on this topic.
Role in pathology
Roles of both CD80 and CD86 are studied in context of many pathologies. Selective inhibition of costimulatory inhibitors was examined in a model of allergic pulmonary inflammation and
airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). Since initial host response to ''
Staphylococcus aureus
''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often positive ...
'', especially the immune response based on T cells, is a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of acute
pneumonia, role of the CD80/CD86 pathway in pathogenesis was investigated. The costimulatory molecules were also investigated in context of
Bronchial Astma, Treg in
cancer, and
immunotherapy.
See also
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Cluster of differentiation
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CD80
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CD28
CD28 (Cluster of Differentiation 28) is one of the proteins expressed on T cells that provide co-stimulatory signals required for T cell activation and survival. T cell stimulation through CD28 in addition to the T-cell receptor ( TCR) can provid ...
*
CTLA-4
*
List of human clusters of differentiation
The following is a list of human clusters of differentiation
The cluster of differentiation (also known as cluster of designation or classification determinant and often abbreviated as CD) is a protocol used for the identification and investigati ...
for a list of CD molecules
References
External links
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Further reading
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{{NLM content
Clusters of differentiation