Description
Product Characteristics: BACKGROUND Leukocytes adhere to the blood vessel endothelium during extravasation in postcapillary venules of lymph nodes. In addition, leukocyte adhesion occurs in the capillaries and small venules at any site in the body after onset of inflammation. This response is immediate and involves a cascade of adhesion receptors. At the endothelial surface members of the selectin and immunoglobulin superfamilies participate in this cascade. Selectins are C-type cell surface lectins that play a role in leukocyte adhesion to the blood vessel wall endothelium. E-selectin (CD62E) is an endothelial cell specific selectin that is expressed only after activation with proinflammatory cytokines. In vitro experiments have shown that IL-1, TNFα and bacterial wall components like lipopolysaccharides induce the transcription of E-selectin in a NFκB dependent signalling cascade. E-selectin has been associated with blood vessel endothelium in diverse inflammatory situations.
Target Information: The protein encoded by this gene is found in cytokine-stimulated endothelial cells and is thought to be responsible for the accumulation of blood leukocytes at sites of inflammation by mediating the adhesion of cells to the vascular lining. It exhibits structural features such as the presence of lectin- and EGF-like domains followed by short consensus repeat (SCR) domains that contain 6 conserved cysteine residues. These proteins are part of the selectin family of cell adhesion molecules. Adhesion molecules participate in the interaction between leukocytes and the endothelium and appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]