Chemokine Like Factor Superfamily 5 (CKLFSF5)

Members of the chemokine-like factor superfamily, including CKLFSF5, share similarity with both the chemokine and the transmembrane 4 superfamilies of signaling molecules.By screening databases for sequences that share homology with chemokine-like factor (CKLF), followed by RT-PCR of a brain cDNA library, Han et al. (2003) cloned CKLFSF5. They also identified alternatively spliced variants. One isoform encodes a 156-amino acid protein with 4 transmembrane segments. CKLFSF5 shares about 40% sequence identity with CKLFSF3. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.22-kb transcript and several minor transcripts expressed at high levels in brain. Han et al. (2003) also cloned mouse Cklfsf5, which shares about 90% sequence similarity with CKLFSF5.