This family is composed of five highly homologous small secreted proteins, TAFA1-5. These proteins contain conserved cysteine residues at fixed positions, and are distantly related to MIP-1alpha, a member of the CC-chemokine family. The FAM19/TAFA proteins are predominantly expressed in specific regions of the brain, and are postulated to function as brain-specific chemokines or neurokines that act as regulators of immune and nervous cells []. Mouse TAFA2 is involved in neuronal survival and neurobiological functions []. TAFA5 has been shown to inhibit postinjury neointima formation via sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2-G12/13-RhoA signaling [].
