The DX5 antibody reacts with murine CD49b (integrin α2), an ~150 kDa type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein that associates non-covalently with CD29 (integrin β1) to form the heterodimeric CD49b/CD29 complex known as VLA-2, a receptor for extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen, E-cadherin, fibronectin, and laminin. CD49b is highly expressed by platelets and is found on a majority of NK cells, on NKT cells, and on a small subset of CD8+ T cells; the latter population increases substantially following viral infection. CD49b is also expressed by several tissues, including intestine, kidney, mammary gland, and lung. The DX5 antibody is particularly useful for identifying NK cells in mice lacking the NK1.1 antigen. Binding of the DX5 antibody has not been observed to affect the function of the VLA-2 integrin. DX5 binding is, however, blocked by the clone HMα2 antibody.

This antibody clone has been verified for purity assessments of cells isolated with EasySep™ Mouse NK Cell Enrichment Kit.