TAFA1/FAM19A1: Proteins and Enzymes

TAFA1 (also FAM19A1) is a secreted, 13 kDa member of the FAM19/TAFA family of chemokine-like proteins. Human TAFA1 is 100% aa identical to mouse TAFA1. TAFA1 is expressed exclusively in the brain, with highest expression in the frontal cortex, temporal cortex, occipital cortex, parietal cortex and medulla, and low levels in the basal ganglion, thalamus, and cerebellum. The biological functions of TAFA family members remain to be determined, but there are a few tentative hypotheses. First, TAFAs may modulate immune responses in the CNS by functioning as brain-specific chemokines, and may act with other chemokines to optimize the recruitment and activity of immune cells in the CNS. Second, TAFAs may represent a novel class of neurokines that act as regulators of immune nervous cells. And third, TAFAs may control axonal sprouting following brain injury.