CXADR

Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CXADRgene. The protein encoded by this gene is a type I membrane receptor for group B coxsackie viruses and subgroup C adenoviruses. CAR protein is expressed in several tissues, including heart, brain, and, more generally, epithelial and endothelial cells. In cardiac muscle, CAR is localized to intercalated disc structures, which electrically and mechanically couple adjacent cardiomyocytes. CAR plays an important role in the pathogenesis of myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and in arrhythmia susceptibility following myocardial infarction or myocardialischemia. In addition, an isoform of CAR (CAR-SIV) has been recently identified in the cytoplasm of pancreatic beta cells. It's been suggested that CAR-SIV resides in the insulin secreting granules and might be involved in the virus infection of these cells.