Chemokine ligand 4, also known as CCL4, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 which in humans is encoded by the CCL4 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

CCL4, also known as Macrophage inflammatory protein

Macrophage Inflammatory Protein

Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins belong to the family of chemotactic cytokines known as chemokines. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 , MIP-1 and MIP-1 are chemokines crucial for immune responses towards infection and inflammation. In humans, there are two major forms, MIP-1α and MIP-1β that are...

-1β (MIP-1β) is a CC chemokine with specificity for CCR5

CCR5

C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CCR5 gene. CCR5 is a member of the beta chemokine receptors family of integral membrane proteins...

 receptors. It is a chemoattractant for natural killer cells, monocyte

Monocyte

Monocytes are a type of white blood cell and are part of the innate immune system of vertebrates including all mammals , birds, reptiles, and fish. Monocytes play multiple roles in immune function...

s and a variety of other immune cells.

CCL4 is a major HIV-suppressive factor produced by CD8+ T cells.

Perforin

Perforin

Perforin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRF1 gene.- Function :Perforin is a cytolytic protein found in the granules of CD8 T-cells and NK cells. Upon degranulation, perforin inserts itself into the target cell's plasma membrane, forming a pore. The lytic membrane-inserting part...

-low memory CD8+ T cells that normally synthesize MIP-1-beta.

Further reading