Sialic Acid Binding Ig Like Lectin 7 (SIGLEC7)

The highest amino acid sequence similarity found was with the myeloid-specific CD33 molecule , and similar to other sialoadhesin molecules, AIRM1 appears to mediate sialic acid-dependent ligand recognition.

By analyzing genomic DNA samples derived from a panel of human/hamster somatic cell hybrids, Falco et al. (1999) mapped the SIGLEC7 gene to chromosome 19. They noted that other members of the sialoadhesin family map to chromosome 19, including CD33, SIGLEC6, SIGLEC5, myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), and CD22 . Therefore, SIGLEC7 is probably located on 19q13.3, where these other family members have been localized. Human tissues show strong expression of Siglec-7 mRNA in spleen, peripheral blood leukocytes, and liver.