Tetraspanin 26 (TSPAN26)

Leukocyte antigen CD37 is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily. Most of these members are cell-surface proteins that are characterized by the presence of four hydrophobic domains. The proteins mediate signal transduction events that play a role in the regulation of cell development, activation, growth and motility. Tetraspanin 26 is a cell surface glycoprotein that is known to complex with integrins and other transmembrane 4 superfamily proteins. It may play a role in T-cell-B-cell interactions. Alternate splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms. CD37 was required for the mobility and clustering of α(4)β(1) integrins in the plasma membrane, thus regulating the membrane distribution of α(4)β(1) integrin necessary for activation of the Akt survival pathway in the immune system.