Antigen Background

The CD4 molecule (T4) is a single chain transmembrane glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 59 kD. The CD4 antigen is expressed on a T cell subset (helper/inducer) representing 45% of peripheral blood lymphocytes and at a lower level on monocytes and germinal center macrophages. Most cases of cutaneous T cell lymphoma, including mycosis fungoides, express the CD4 antigen and HTLV-1 associated adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma is also generally CD4 positive.

Disclaimer

CD4 is recommended for the detection of specific antigens of interest in normal and neoplastic tissues, as an adjunct to conventional histopathology using non-immunologic histochemical stains.