Dectin-1/Clec7a Antibody #23042

Dectin-1, also known as Clec7a, is a C-type lectin receptor expressed by macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and a subset of γδ T cells (1,2). Dectin-1 is a glycoprotein with eight different isoforms, generated through alternative splicing (3-5). It plays an important role in anti-fungal immunity by acting as a pattern recognition receptor for β-glucans found on the cell wall of fungi and some bacteria (5,6). Dectin-1 is composed of a short amino-terminal cytoplasmic domain containing an ITAM-like motif, a transmembrane domain, and an extracellular carboxy-terminal C-type lectin domain (5). Dectin-1 recognizes β-glucans through its C-type lectin domain and transduces signals through its ITAM-like motif by recruiting and activating Syk (7,8). Dendritic cells activated through Dectin-1 promote differentiation of Th17 cells by producing IL-6 and IL-23 (9).

Dectin-1 may also play a role in neurodegenerative diseases. CLEC7A, the gene that encodes Dectin-1, is upregulated in microglia, the resident macrophages of the brain, in mouse neurodegenerative disease models, including Alzheimer’s disease (10).