• Purity

  >97%, by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions and visualized by silver stain

• Endotoxin Level

  <0.01 EU per 1 μg of the protein by the LAL method.  

• Activity

  Measured by its ability to chemoattract BaF3 mouse pro‑B cells transfected with mouse CX3CR1. The ED    ₅₀ for this effect is 10-50 ng/mL.

• Source

  E. coli-derived Leu22-Lys105

• Accession #

• N-terminal Sequence    
  Analysis

  Leu22

• Predicted Molecular Mass

  9.5 kDa

Carrier Free

What does CF mean?

CF stands for Carrier Free (CF). We typically add Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) as a carrier protein to our recombinant proteins. Adding a carrier protein enhances protein stability, increases shelf-life, and allows the recombinant protein to be stored at a more dilute concentration. The carrier free version does not contain BSA.

What formulation is right for me?

In general, we advise purchasing the recombinant protein with BSA for use in cell or tissue culture, or as an ELISA standard. In contrast, the carrier free protein is recommended for applications, in which the presence of BSA could interfere.

Background: CX3CL1/Fractalkine

Fractalkine, designated CX3CL1 and also known as neurotactin, is the only member of the CX3C, or delta, chemokine subfamily (1 ‑ 4). Unlike most other chemokines, CX3CL1 is a type I transmembrane (TM) adhesion protein (1). The mouse CX3CL1 cDNA encodes 395 amino acids (aa), including a signal sequence (aa 1 ‑ 24), a chemokine domain (aa 25 ‑ 100), a mucin stalk region (aa 101 ‑ 336), a transmembrane segment (aa 337 ‑ 357), and a cytoplasmic tail (aa 358 ‑ 395). The chemokine domain contains binding and chemotactic determinants, while the mucin stalk appears to function only as a spacer (4, 5). Mouse CX3CL1 shares 85% and 78% aa sequence identity with rat and human CX3CL1, respectively, within the chemokine domain, but lower sequence identity within other domains. CX3CL1 is up‑regulated by pro‑inflammatory stimuli, especially IFN‑ gamma and TNF‑ alpha, on cell types including macrophages, dendritic cells, endothelium, neurons, smooth muscle and epithelium lining the intestines and other tubules (1, 8, 9). The 40 kDa, 7‑TM non‑glycosylated G‑protein coupled CX3CL1 receptor, CX3CR1, is expressed by cytotoxic effector cells and cytokine producers, including type I helper and cytotoxic T cells, gamma δ T cells, CD16+ NK cells, monocytes and microglia (1, 2). The 95 ‑ 100 kDa TM CX3CL1 can be inducibly cleaved near the TM segment by ADAM10 or ADAM17 to generate a 60 ‑ 80 kDa soluble form (6, 7). TM CX3CL1 functions as an adhesion molecule, while both forms are chemoattractants for target cells expressing CX3CR1 (1, 2). During extravasation, membrane‑bound CX3CL1 traps leukocytes, then is cleaved to allow diapedesis (6). In coronary artery disease, soluble CX3CL1 and CD8+ T cell CX3CR1 are overexpressed and appear to contribute to pathogenesis (1, 10). In the brain, CX3CL1/CX3CR1 interaction protects against microglial neurotoxicity (11). CX3CL1 also contributes to wound healing by recruiting macrophages, and to bone resorption by recruiting and mediating adhesion of osteoclast precursors (12, 13).

• References:

1. Stievano, L.         et al. (2004) Crit. Rev. Immunol.         24:205.

2. Umehara, H.         et al. (2004) Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol.         24:34.

3. Rossi, D.L.         et al. (1998) Genomics         47:163.

4. Mizoue, L.S.         et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem.         276:33906.

5. Harrison, J.K.         et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem.         276:21632.

6. Hundhausen, C.         et al. (2007) J. Immunol.         178:8064.        

7. Tsou, C.         et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem.         276:44622.

8. Tarozzo, G.         et al. (2003) J. Neurosci. Res.         73:81.

9. Lucas, A.D.         et al. (2001) Am. J. Pathol.         158:855.

10. Damas, J.K.         et al. (2005) Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol.         25:2567.

11. Cardona, A.E.         et al. (2006) Nat. Neurosci.         9:917.

12. Koizumi, K.         et al. (2009) J. Immunol.         183:7825.

13. Ishida, Y. et al. (2008) J. Immunol. 180:569.

• Entrez Gene IDs:

  6376 (Human); 20312 (Mouse); 89808 (Rat)

• Alternate Names:

  ABCD-3; C3Xkine; chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1; CX3C membrane-anchored chemokine; CX3CL1; CXC3; CXC3C; FKN; Fractalkine; Neurotactin; neurotactin); NTNsmall inducible cytokine subfamily D (Cys-X3-Cys), member 1 (fractalkine; NTTSmall-inducible cytokine D1; SCYD1C-X3-C motif chemokine 1; small inducible cytokine subfamily D (Cys-X3-Cys), member-1