MAVS polyclonal antibody

MAVS (mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein), also known as IPS1, KIAA1271, VISA or CARDIF, is a 540 amino acid protein that contains one CARD domain and several transmembrane domains, and localizes to the outer mitochondrial membrane. Expressed throughout the body with highest ex-pression in liver, heart, placenta, skeletal muscle and peripheral blood leuk-ocytes, MAVS functions downstream of proteins, such as RIG-I, that detect double-stranded (ds) viral replication and is required for proper immune re-sponse against ds viral infection. MAVS is thought to activate pathways that lead to the induction of antiviral cytokines and may protect the cells from viral-induced apoptosis. MAVS function can be inactivated via cleavage by a protease complex that degrades the CARD and transmembrane domains, thereby preventing MAVS from interacting with other proteins. Three isoforms of MAVS are expressed due to alternative splicing events.