Chemokine C-X-C-Motif Receptor 7 (CXCR7)

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 7 is  a member of the G-protein coupled receptor family. Although this protein was earlier thought to be a receptor for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and was considered to be an orphan receptor, it has been later been shown to bind the chemokines CXCL12/SDF-1 and CXCL11.The protein is also a coreceptor for human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). Translocations involving this gene and HMGA2 on chromosome 12 have been observed in lipomas. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same protein isoform have been found for this gene. Whereas some reports claim that the receptor induces signaling following ligand binding, recent findings in zebrafish suggest that CXCR7 functions primarily by sequestering the chemokine CXCL12.