Aim To investigate the role of CKLF1 in SHSYSY cell migration and its molecular regulatory mechanism.Methods SHSY5Y cells were stimulated with CKLF1 for 0.5, 2, 8 and 24 h, respectively.The migration distance and the percentage of migration cells were recorded by CELLocate analysis.The phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at Tyr397 site was detected by Western blot analysis.By chemotaxis assays, we confirmed the chemotaxis of CKLF1.Furthermore, FAK inhibitor PF573228 and PLCγ inhibitor U73122 were used for the research of molecular regulatory mechanisms involved.Results CKLF1 promoted cell migration and induced a strong increase in the phosphorylation level of FAKpY397, which were significantly attenuated by the presence of U73122 (a specific inhibitor for PLCγ).In addition, the chemotaxis of CKLF1 was obviously blocked by the FAK inhibitor PF573228.Conclusions CKLF1 induces SHSY5Y cell migration via PLCγ/FAK signaling path.