Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 encoded by the CCL3 gene, also known as macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) is a CC chemokine with specificity for CCR5 receptors and it is a major HIV-suppressive factor produced by CD8+ T cells. In addition, it is a chemoattractant for natural killer cells, monocytes and a variety of other immune cells. Recombinant CCL3 induces a dose-dependent inhibition of different strains of HIV-1, HIV-2, and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Furthermore, recombinant rat CCL3 contains 69 amino acids and it shares 72 % and 91 % a.a. sequence identity with human and Mouse CCL3. Both human and Mouse MIP-1α and MIP-1β are active on human and Mouse hematopoietic cells.