NEURONAL EXPRESSION OF FRACTALKINE IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF INFLAMMATION

Fractalkine is the only as get known member of a novel class of chemok ines, Besides its novel Cys-X-X-X-Cys motif, fractalkine exhibits feat ures which have not been described for any other member of the chemoki ne family, including its unusual size (397 amino acids human, 395 mous e) and the possession of a transmembrane anchor, from which a soluble form may be released by extracellular cleavage. This report demonstrat es the abundant mRNA and fractalkine protein expression in neuronal ce lls. The neuronal expression of fractalkine mRNA is unaffected by expe rimentally induced inflammation of central nervous tissue. (C) 1998 Fe deration of European Biochemical Societies.