Description
This gene is one of several chemokine genes clustered on the q arm of chromosome 17. Chemokines are a superfamily of secreted proteins involved in immune regulation and inflammatory processes. According to the arrangement of N-terminal cysteine residues in mature peptides, the superfamily is divided into four subfamilies. This chemotactic factor belongs to the CC subfamily and is a chemotactic agent for blood monocytes, memory T helper cells, and eosinophils. It causes basophils to release histamine and activate eosinophils. This cytokine is one of the main HIV inhibitors produced by CD8+cells. It is one of the natural ligands of chemokine receptor chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), which inhibits in vitro replication of HIV-1 R5 strains using CCR5 as a co receptor. Optional splicing leads to multiple transcriptional variants encoding different isomers.