Description
Chemokine (CXC motif) ligand 16, is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family and signals through the CXCR6 receptor. CXCL16 is composed of its typical CXC chemokine domain, a mucin-like stalk, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic tail which allow CXCL16 to act as a cell surface bound molecule as well as a soluble chemokine. Human CXCL16 shares 70% amino acid sequence similarity with the mouse and CXCL16 expression is induced by IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. CXCL16 is produced by dendritic cells in lymphoid organs, and by red pulp spleen cells. The expression of CXCL16 may attract lymphocytes during inflammation and assist some immune responses