Recombinant Human CXCL12 (SDF-1 Alpha) (carrier-free) 25 µg

Human SDF-1 belongs to the CXCL chemokine family. The mouse cDNA SDF was initially cloned from a bone marrow stromal cell library, and the human was cloned from a pro-B-cell cDNA library. SDF is expressed by many organs, and it is most abundantly expressed in pancreas, spleen, ovary, and small intestine. SDF-1 (CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR4 are involved in regulation of migration, survival, and development of multiple cell types, including human hematopoietic CD34+/CD38-/low and stromal STRO-1+ stem cells. Stress-induced modulations in SDF-1 and CXCR4 levels participate in recruitment of immature and maturing leukocytes from the BM reservoir to damaged organs as part of host defense and repair mechanism. SDF-1 (CXCL12)/CXCR4 system is involved in the establishment of organ metastasis in different cancers, for example in lymph node metastasis in breast cancer and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and peritoneal metastasis in ovarian cancer. Recently, several studies have demonstrated the existence of a small subset of cancer cells which share many characteristics with stem cells and named cancer stem cells (CSC). They constitute a reservoir of self-sustaining cells with the ability to maintain the tumor growth. Most of them express CXCR4 receptor and respond to a chemotactic gradient of its specific ligand SDF-1, suggesting that CSC probably represent a subpopulation capable of initiating metastasis.;