Recombinant Mouse CXCL10/IP-10/CRG-2 Protein

The gene for CRG-2, a mouse homolog of human IP-10, was originally identified as an immediate early gene induced in response to macrophage activation. It has since been shown that CRG-2 mRNA is induced by alpha / beta / gamma -interferons and by lipopolysaccharide in macrophages, astrocytes and microglia. Human IP-10 was also shown to be expressed in activated T-lymphocytes, splenocytes, keratinocytes, osteoblasts, astrocytes, and smooth muscle cells. Mouse CRG-2 cDNA encodes a 98 amino acid (aa) residue precursor protein with a 21 aa residue signal peptide that is cleaved to form the 77 aa residue secreted mature protein. Mature CRG-2 shares approximately 67% amino acid sequence identity with human IP-10. The amino acid sequence of CRG-2 identified the protein as a member of the chemokine alpha subfamily that lacks the ELR domain. CRG-2 has been shown to be a chemoattractant for activated T-lymphocytes. Recently, human IP-10 has also been reported to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and to display a potent thymus-dependent anti-tumor effect. A chemokine receptor specific for IP-10 and MIG (CXCR3) has been cloned and shown to be highly expressed in IL-2-activated T-lymphocytes.