This gene encodes a member of a superfamily of proteins composed predominantly of tandemly arrayed short consensus repeats of approximately 60 amino acids. Along with a single, unique beta-chain, seven identical alpha-chains encoded by this gene assemble into the predominant isoform of C4b-binding protein, a multimeric protein that controls activation of the complement cascade through the classical pathway. The genes encoding both alpha and beta chains are located adjacent to each other on human chromosome 1 in the regulator of complement activation gene cluster. Two pseudogenes of this gene are also found in the cluster. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
Sogawa, Takano, Iida, Satoh, Tsuchida, Kawashima, Yoshitomi, Sanda, Kodera, Takizawa, Mikata, Ohtsuka, Shimizu, Miyazaki, Yokosuka, Nomura: "Identification of a novel serum biomarker for pancreatic cancer, C4b-binding protein α-chain (C4BPA) by quantitative proteomic analysis using tandem mass tags." in: British journal of cancer, Vol. 115, Issue 8, pp. 949-956, (2016) (PubMed).