Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5(CCL5), also known as RANTES (Regulated upon activation, Normal T cell Expressed and presumable Secreted) is a CC-chemokine that can signal through the CCR1, CCR3, CCR5 and US28 (cytomegalovirus receptor) receptors. RANTES is chemotactic for T cells, eosinophils, and basophils, and plays an active role in recruiting leukocytes in inflammatory sites. With the help of specific cytokines (i.e., IL-2 and IFN-?) that are released by T cells, RANTES induces the proliferation and activation of certain natural-killer (NK) cells to form CHAK (CC-Chemokine-activated killer) cells. RANTES is also an HIV-suppressive factor released from CD8+ T cells. This chemokine has been localized to chromosome 17 in humans. It has the capability to inhibit certain strains of HIV-1, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).
Recombinant human RANTES/CCL5 produced in HEK293 cells is a single polypeptide chain containing 68 amino acids. A fully biologically active molecule, rhRANTES/CCL5 has a molecular mass of 8 kDa analyzed by reducing SDS-PAGE and is obtained by chromatographic techniques at GenScript.