Michael A. Davitz

TL;DR: The molecular cloning of human DAF from HeLa cells is reported and it is proposed that the major (90%) spliced DAF mRNA encodes membrane-bound DAF whereas the minor (10%) unspliced D AF mRNA may encode secreted DAF and the deduced DAF sequence contains four repeating units homologous to a consensus repeat found in a recently described family of complement proteins.

TL;DR: It is shown here that DAF is part of a newly described family of membrane proteins anchored to the lipid bilayer by means of phosphatidylinositol (PI), which could facilitate killing of tumor cells by amplifying the effects of the complement cascade on the surface of antibody-sensitized cells.

TL;DR: The discovery of a glycan-PI-specific phospholipase D in human serum that cleaves both the membrane form of the variant surface glycoprotein of African trypanosomes and its glycolipid precursor is reported, indicating that it participates in the metabolism of glycolIPid-anchored membrane proteins.

TL;DR: The last 37 amino acids of membrane DAF, when fused to the carboxyl terminus of a secreted protein, are sufficient to target the fusion protein to the plasma membrane by means of a glycophospholipid anchor.

TL;DR: It is shown that a cell‐associated GPI‐specific phospholipase D (GPI‐PLD) releases the G PI‐anchored, complement regulatory protein decay‐accelerating factor (DAF) from HeLa cells, as well as the basic fibroblast growth factor‐binding heparan sulfate proteoglycan from bone marrow stromal cells.