The MEL-14 monoclonal antibody specifically reacts with L- selectin (CD62L), a receptor with lectin-like and Epidermal Growth Factor-like domains. The weight of the CD62L molecules depend on their origin: 74 kDa (on lymphocytes) or 95 kDa (on neutrophils).

In the Mouseorganism, CD62L can be expressed by most thymocytes, on subsets of B and T lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and neutrophils. The L-selectin binds sulfated, fucosylated, and glycosylated glycoproteins (MadCAM-1, GLYCAM-1, and CD 34). It mediates the migration of lymphocytes to the site of inflammation and their return to the peripheral lymphoid tissues and to the HEV (high endothelial venules). In vitro, L-selectin inhibits this binding and the lymphocyte extravasation into peripheral lymph nodes.