Image of<unk>  co-receptor binding to MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) non-polymorphic region. In molecular biology,<unk>  (cluster of differentiation 4) is a glycoprotein that serves as a co-receptor for the T-cell receptor (TCR).<unk>  is found on the surface of immune cells such as T helper cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. It was discovered in the late 1970s and was originally known as leu-3 and T4 (after the OKT4 monoclonal antibody that reacted with it) before being named<unk>  in 1984. In humans, the<unk>  protein is encoded by the<unk>  gene.<unk> + T helper cells are white blood cells that are an essential part of the human immune system. They are often referred to as<unk>  cells, T-helper cells or T4 cells. They are called helper cells because one of their main roles is to send signals to other types of immune cells, including CD8 killer cells, which then destroy the infectious particle. If<unk>  cells become depleted, for example in untreated HIV infection, or following immune suppression prior to a transplant, the body is left vulnerable to a wide range of infections that it would otherwise have been able to fight.
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