Description
SPARCL1 (SPARC-Like Protein 1), also known as HEVIN, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SPARCL1 gene. The cells in high endothelial venules (HEVs) in lymphoid tissues have a plump, almost cuboidal, appearance and support high levels of lymphocyte extravasation from blood, possibly due to the presence of desmosome-like junctions rather than tight junctions in the HEVs. In chronic inflammation, the activated endothelium of nonlymphoid tissues acquires an HEV-like morphology and function. Hevin is highly expressed in HEV and is thought to contribute to the induction or maintenance of features of the HEV endothelium that facilitate lymphocyte migration