Mouse Fractalkine/CX3CL1, Tag Free Protein (HA211451)

Fractalkine, also known as chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CX3CL1 gene. Fractalkine is found commonly throughout the brain, particularly in neural cells, and its receptor is known to be present on microglial cells. It has also been found to be essential for microglial cell migration. CX3CL1 is also up-regulated in the hippocampus during a brief temporal window following spatial learning, the purpose of which may be to regulate glutamate-mediated neurotransmission tone. This indicates a possible role for the chemokine in the protective plasticity process of synaptic scaling. Soluble CX3CL1 potently chemoattracts T cells and monocytes, while the cell-bound chemokine promotes strong adhesion of leukocytes to activated endothelial cells, where it is primarily expressed. CX3CL1 elicits its adhesive and migratory functions by interacting with the chemokine receptor CX3CR1.