CMTM5-v1, a four-transmembrane protein, presents a secreted form released via a vesicle-mediated secretory pathway.

The CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing family (CMTM) is a novel family of proteins linking classical chemokines and the transmembrane 4 superfamily (TM4SF). Our earlier studies indicated several CMTM members (such as CKLF1 and CMTM2) have a secreted form. This is the first report of the secreted form of CMTM5-v1, the major RNA splicing form of CMTM5, which is produced as small vesicles (100 nm diameter) and floats at a peak density of 1.19 g/ml on continuous sucrose gradients. CMTM5-v1 has no obvious co-localization with CD63 or Golgi complex. In addition, brefeldin A but not wortmannin can inhibit the secretion of CMTM5-v1. Our results suggest that CMTM5-v1 might be secreted via a different vesicle-mediated secretory pathway, which will be helpful for the studies of vesicle-mediated secretion and MARVEL domain-containing proteins.