CD81 deficient mice have been created. These were the first CD81-/- mice to be described. They were found to undergo normal T cell maturation, have normal B cell development, but express lower levels of CD19.
Eat1 and Eat2 are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which specifically recognize mouse CD81. It is shown that Eat1 binds to the large extracellular loop (EC2), while Eat2 requires the presence of both extracellular loops for binding.