Retrotransposon Gag-like protein 5 (RTL5)

Retrotransposon Gag-like protein 5 (RTL5) is a protein encoded by the RTL5 gene in humans and other eutherian mammals. RTL5 is a member of the eutherian-specific, retrovirus-derived Gag-like (RTL) gene family, thought to be functionally exapted from extinct retroviruses. The RTL5 gene, strongly conserved across eutherians, encodes a strongly acidic protein expressed predominantly in microglia in the brain[1]. RTL5, together with its paralog RTL6, is involved in the front-line innate immune response of brain microglia to certain pathogens, such as double-stranded RNA, lipopolysaccharide, and bacterial CpG DNA. RTL5 accumulates in the cytoplasm of microglia and appears to mediate the clearance of these pathogens, likely as a mechanism to prevent infection in the central nervous system[1]. RTL5 is not classified as a conventional drug target such as a receptor, enzyme, or transporter, and there are currently no known drugs or approved therapeutic interventions targeting it, nor is it established as a biomarker or as directly involved in human disease[1][6].

Other names

KIAA2001RGAG4Mar5Mart5SIRH8Retrotransposon gag domain-containing protein 4Sushi-Ichi retrotransposon homolog 8mammalian retrotransposon-derived 56430402L03RikMAR5MART5retrotransposon Gag-like protein 5retrotransposon gag domain containing 4retrotransposon gag domain-containing protein 4[2][5]