This gene encodes a multi-pass membrane protein that belongs to the CXC chemokine receptor family. It is expressed in mature B-cells and Burkitt's lymphoma. This cytokine receptor binds to B-lymphocyte chemoattractant (BLC), and is involved in B-cell migration into B-cell follicles of spleen and Peyer patches. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2011]
Forensic Context
A study in rats demonstrated that the CXCR5 mRNA was transiently upregulated at 2 hours after a 5 psi blast exposure and showed earlier, greater, and sustained upregulation after a 10–11 psi blast exposure, with a transient upregulation also observed at 24 hours after a 14–15 psi exposure, indicating its role in lymphocyte activation and migration pathways following blast-induced traumatic brain injury [Balaban et al. DOI:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.02.001]. A review of single-cell sequencing in mice and humans following myocardial infarction identified the CXCR5 as a marker highly expressed in heart-associated B-cell populations, where it is co-expressed with CCR7 and associated with activated B-cell states [Bian et al. DOI:10.3892/mmr.2025.13680].