Soluble Scavenger Protein With 5 SRCR Domains (SSC5D)

SSc5D is a new soluble protein whose expression is restricted to monocytes/macrophages and T-lymphocytes, and is particularly enriched in the placenta. SSc5D spans 30kb of genomic DNA, and contains fourteen exons producing a 4.8kb-long mRNA. The mature polypeptide is predicted to consist of 1573 amino acids comprising, towards the N-terminus, five very similar SRCR domains that are highly conserved among non-marsupial mammals, and a large, very heavily glycosylated, mucin-like sequence towards the C-terminus. Each of the SRCR domains is encoded by a single exon, and contains eight cysteine residues, as observed for all other group B SRCR domains. SSc5D has a role at the interface between adaptive and innate immunity, or in placental function.