MFGE8 Monoclonal Antibody from CUSABIO Technology LLC

Human MFGE8(milk fat globule-EGF factor 8;also lactadherin, breast epithelial antigen BA46, and medin) is a 46 kDa, secreted, monomeric glycoprotein that is associated with the human milk fat globule (HMFG) membrane.It is expressed by mammary epithelial cell surfaces, artery media, and in several carcinomas. Human MGFE8 is synthesized as a 387 amino acid (aa) precursor that contains a 23 aa signal sequence and a 364 aa mature region. The mature molecule contains four Nlinked glycosylation sites, an aminoterminal EGF like domain, plus C1 and C2 Iglike domains which are related to discoidin I and homologous to those of human coagulation factors V and VIII. Within the EGF like domain is an ArgGlyAsp(RGD) sequence, which is strategically placed in a hairpin loop between two antiparallel beta strands. In this way, the EGFlike domain serves as a scaffold for the RGD sequence, which is proposed to promote cell adhesion by binding cellsurface integrin receptors, such as ??v??3. Human MFGE8 shares 59%, 58%, 56%, and 52% aa sequence identity with porcine, bovine, rat, and mouse MFGE8,respectively. Functionally, MFGE8 in milk is reported to block rotavirus infection. MFGE8 expression by macrophages promotes the phagocytosis of apoptotic thymocytes by forming a bridge between phosphatidylserine on apoptotic cells, and ??v??3 integrin on phagocytes. The MFGE8 expression by macrophages controls the accumulation of apoptotic membrane fragments in atherosclerotic plaques and substantially limits lesion development