CD133

CD133 (prominin-1) is a five-transmembrane pentaspan glycoprotein whose extracellular domains concentrate in membrane protrusions, and whose AC133 epitope has defined CD133-positive stem populations since the 1990s. It marks hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, endothelial progenitors and neural stem cells, and in cancer biology it labels tumor-initiating cells of glioma, colon and pancreatic carcinoma. CD133 is released in exosomes, and its expression correlates with stem-like properties and therapy resistance in several malignancies. Recombinant CD133 is a standard reagent for stem cell enrichment and cancer stem cell research. CD133 concentrates in cholesterol-rich lipid rafts of membrane protrusions.