The protein encoded by this gene is a protease inhibitor and cytokine transporter. It uses a bait-and-trap mechanism to inhibit a broad spectrum of proteases, including trypsin, thrombin and collagenase. It can also inhibit inflammatory cytokines, and it thus disrupts inflammatory cascades. Mutations in this gene are a cause of alpha- 2-macroglobulin deficiency. This gene is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to its ability to mediate the clearance and degradation of A-beta, the major component of beta-amyloid deposits. A related pseudogene, which is also located on the p arm of chromosome 12, has been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2016]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the A2M gene, which functions as a protease inhibitor and cytokine transporter, was acutely and subacutely upregulated in the neocortex, corpus callosum-external capsule, and striatum at both 2 and 7 days post-traumatic brain injury induced by controlled cortical impact [Kounelis-Wuillaume et al. DOI:10.1177/08977151251390528]. A study in mice demonstrated that the A2M was mentioned in the introductory discussion of a paper investigating traumatic brain injury via a cryolesion model [Quintana et al. DOI:10.1002/jnr.20680].