Monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibodies are capable of activating mouse T cells in the absence of
an antigen-specific signal. Therefor, Thy-1 appears to be connected to an alternative signal
transduction pathway, operative in thymocytes as well as in neuronal cells, since this
molecule is also present on brain. Biochemical data have shown that this molecule is
differentially glycosylated with respect to its cellular distribution. Structure and sequence
comparisons revealed a strong homology with the immunoglobulin primordial domain. In …