Description
PECAM-1 (Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule), also known as cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) is a protein that in human is encoded by the PECAM1 gene found on chromosome 17. It is a member of the immunoglobulin(Ig) superfamily that is expressed on the surface of circulating platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, and particular T-cell subsets. Using a PCR-based analysis of somatic cell hybrids, Gumina et al.(1996) mapped CD31 to chromosome 17 in the region 17q23-qter. Several adhesion molecules expressed on platelets and endothelium also localized to 17q. Xie and Muller(1996) mapped the Pecam1 gene to mouse chromosome 6, region F3-G1, by fluorescence in situ hybridization. CD31 is found on the surface of platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, and some types of T-cells, and makes up a large portion of endothelial cell intercellular junctions, and it plays a key role in removing aged neutrophils from the body