Description
Product Characteristics: FOLR2 (folate receptor beta) is a cell surface protein that was originally thought to be specific for placenta, but it can be also expressed in other tissues, including hematopoietic cells. Its expression is increased in malignant tissues. FOLR2 may play a role in the transport of methotrexate in synovial macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis patients. FOLR2 is a marker for macrophages generated in the presence of M-CSF (M2), including M2-like tumor-associated macrophages, which exert potent immunosuppressive functions within the tumor environment, but not GM-CSF (M1), and whose expression correlates with increased folate uptake ability.
Target Information: The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the folate receptor (FOLR) family, and these genes exist in a cluster on chromosome 11. Members of this gene family have a high affinity for folic acid and for several reduced folic acid derivatives, and they mediate delivery of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate to the interior of cells. This protein has a 68% and 79% sequence homology with the FOLR1 and FOLR3 proteins, respectively. Although this protein was originally thought to be specific to placenta, it can also exist in other tissues, and it may play a role in the transport of methotrexate in synovial macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Multiple transcript variants that encode the same protein have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]