We have used I5N NMR relaxation experiments to probe, for the glycosylated human CD2 adhesion domain, the overall molecular motion, as well as very fast nanosecond-picosecond (ns-ps) and slow millisecond-microsecond (ms-ps) internal motions. Using a novel analysis method that considers all residues, we obtained a correlation time for the overall motion of 9.5 + 0.3 ns. Surprisingly, we found a large contiguous patch of residues in the counterreceptor (CD58) binding site of human CD2 exhibiting slow conformational exchange motions (ms-ps). On the other hand, almost none of the residues of the CD58 binding site display fast (ns-ps) internal motions of amplitudes larger than what is seen for well-ordered regions of the structure. Residues close to the N-glycosylation site, and the first N-acetylglucosamine of the high mannose glycan are as rigid as the protein core. Residues conserved in the immunoglobulin superfamily V-set domain are generally very rigid.Keywords: glycosylated human CD2 adhesion domain; immunoglobulin superfamily V-set domain; "N NMR relaxation: reduced spectral density mapping CD2 is a transmembrane glycoprotein receptor expressed on the cell surface of T lymphocytes and natural killer cells and is important in mediating both cellular adhesion and signal transduction (reviewed in Moingeon et al., 1989a;Hahn et al., 1993). CD2 mediates adhesion by binding to its counterreceptor CD58 in humans (Selvaraj et al., 1987). CD2-mediated adhesion facilitates T cell recognition of antigens by the T cell receptor (Moingeon et al., 1989b: Koyasu et al., 1990 J ( w N ) , and J(w"), spectral density function derived at zero, nitrogen, and proton frequencies, respectively; Jeg(0), in the absence of exchange its value equals J(0); Juvg(wH,). the average of the spectral density function at the proton frequency as well as the sum and difference of the proton and nitrogen frequencies; T , , overall tumbling time; GlcNAc-I , N-acetylglucosamine. vation signals that synergize with those mediated by the TCR (Meuer et al., 1984;Bierer et al., 1988), and in vivo studies in rodents have shown that administration of anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies effectively prolong allograft survival (Chavin et al., 1993;Qin et al., 1994). Moreover, the CD2-CD58 pathway plays a critical role in the maintenance and reversal of anergy (BoussiOtis et al., 1994), and anti-CD2 and anti-CD58 mAbs can specifically inhibit interleukin-12-induced proliferation and interferon y production by activated T cells (Gollob et al., 1995).Structural studies of both rat (Driscoll et al., 1991;Jones et al., 1992) and human CD2 Wyss et al., 1993;Bodian et al., 1994) have shown that the extracellular region of CD2 consists of a nine-stranded NH,-terminal immunoglobulin superfamily V-set domain and a seven-stranded membrane-proximal IgSF C2-set domain. The CD58 binding site of human CD2 is a highly charged surface area located on the GFCC'C" face of the NH2-tenninal adhesion domain (Arulanandam et al., 1993;Somoza et al., 1993). The affinity of the...