Poliovirus Receptor Related Protein 4 (PVRL4)

Poliovirus receptor-like proteins (PVRLs), such as PVRL4, are adhesion receptors of the immunoglobulin superfamily and function in cell-cell adhesion (Reymond et al., 2001).By database analysis, Reymond et al. (2001) identified the PVRL4 gene, which encodes a 510-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 55.5 kD. It contains 1 predicted transmembrane domain, followed by a 139-residue cytoplasmic sequence. Human and murine PVRL4 share 92% amino acid identity. Northern blot analysis showed strong expression of a 3.7-kb human PVRL4 transcript in placenta and weak expression in trachea. Murine Pvrl4 was expressed at embryonic days 11, 15 and 17. Immunohistochemistry revealed human PVRL4 localized to endothelial cells from vessels in placental villi.