Cloning and characterisation of the primary structure of the sheep lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 alpha subunit.

The leukocyte integrins play a critical role in a number of cellular adhesive interactions during the immune response. The ovine cDNA encoding CD11a, the predominant alpha subunit of the beta2-integrin family, was sequenced and compared with the human, bovine and murine sequences. Despite some focal differences, it shares all the main characteristics of its known mammalian homologues. Along with the ovine CD18-encoding cDNA, which is available for a few months, the sequence data provided here will allow the Ovis aries beta2-integrin CD11a/CD18 (LFA-1, alpha(L)beta2) expression in vitro as a tool to examine the specificities of inflammation in the ovine species.