The protein encoded by this gene is a mucosal chemokine that attracts immature dendritic cells and blood monocytes to the lungs. The encoded protein also promotes tumorigenesis through an angiogenic activity. Finally, this protein exhibits strong antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, Salmonella, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans. Two transcript variants, one protein-coding and the other non-protein coding, have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2015].