The product of this gene belongs to the integrin alpha chain family of proteins. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins composed of an alpha chain and a beta chain. This gene encodes an alpha 4 chain. Unlike other integrin alpha chains, alpha 4 neither contains an I-domain, nor undergoes disulfide-linked cleavage. Alpha 4 chain associates with either beta 1 chain or beta 7 chain.[5]
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Porter JC, Hogg N (1999). "Integrins take partners: cross-talk between integrins and other membrane receptors". Trends Cell Biol. 8 (10): 390–6. doi:10.1016/S0962-8924(98)01344-0. PMID9789327.
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Fernández-Ruiz E, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F, Rubio MA, Corbí AL, Rodriguez de Córdoba S, Sánchez-Madrid F (1992). "Mapping of the human VLA-alpha 4 gene to chromosome 2q31-q32". Eur. J. Immunol. 22 (2): 587–90. doi:10.1002/eji.1830220243. PMID1537388. S2CID86449765.
Rubio M, Nueda A, Vara A, Corbí Lopez AL (1992). "A single mRNA encodes the alpha 150 and alpha 80/70 forms of the alpha subunit of VLA4". Eur. J. Immunol. 22 (4): 1099–102. doi:10.1002/eji.1830220434. PMID1551405. S2CID83613615.
Gailit J, Pierschbacher M, Clark RA (1993). "Expression of functional alpha 4 beta 1 integrin by human dermal fibroblasts". J. Invest. Dermatol. 100 (3): 323–8. doi:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12470011. PMID8440915.
Szabo M, McIntyre BW (1996). "Identification of two variants of the human integrin alpha 4 subunit". Mol. Immunol. 32 (17–18): 1453–4. doi:10.1016/0161-5890(96)00001-6. PMID8643114.