CD53 is an N-glycosylated pan-leucocyte antigen of 35-42,000 Mr. The sequence of the CD53 polypeptide deduced from a cDNA clone is 219 amino acids in length. It appears to lack a conventional leader sequence because the deduced NH2-terminal amino acid sequence is very similar to the rat MRC OX-44 and human CD37 antigens. The CD53 molecule is likely to consist of four transmembrane regions and a major extracellular hydrophilic loop containing two potential N-glycosylation sites. It is suggested that the CD53 glycoprotein is the true human homologue of the rat OX-44 antigen, rather than the CD37 antigen of more restricted expression and lower NH2-terminal sequence similarity to OX-44.