CD146 Antibody / MCAM / MUC18

CD146 (cluster of differentiation 146), also known as the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) or cell surface glycoprotein MUC18, is a 113kDa cell adhesion molecule currently used as a marker for endothelial cell lineage. MCAM, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is homologous to several cell adhesion molecules and is associated with tumor progression and the development of metastasis in human malignant melanoma. By radiation hybrid analysis, this gene is mapped to chromosome 11q23.3. MCAM has been demonstrated to appear on a small subset of T and B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of healthy individuals. MCAM has been seen as a marker for mesenchymal stem cells isolated from multiple adult and fetal organs, and its expression may be linked to multipotency mesenchymal stem cells with greater differentiation potential express higher levels of MCAM on the cell surface.