TSPAN12, also known as NET-2 or TM4SF12 is a tetraspanin

Tetraspanin

Tetraspanins are a family of membrane proteins found in all multicellular eukaryotes.Tetraspanins, also called tetraspans or the transmembrane 4 superfamily , have four transmembrane domains, intracellular N- and C-termini and two extracellular domains, one short and one longer, typically 100...

 protein that is found in the membrane of a variety of cells. It has an unusually long C-terminal intracellular tail of approximately 60 amino acids.

Function

Its main binding partner is the ADAM10

ADAM10

Disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10, also known as ADAM10 or CDw156 or CD156c is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ADAM10 gene.- Function :...

 protein, a sheddase

Sheddase

Sheddases are membrane-bound enzymes that cleave extracellular portions of transmembrane proteins, releasing the soluble ectodomains from the cell surface...

 that interacts with a variety of adhesion molecules that are found on the cell membrane including L1-CAM, E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin and CD44

CD44

The CD44 antigen is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell–cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. In humans, the CD44 antigen is encoded by the CD44 gene.- Tissue distribution and isoforms :...

. It also binds to the MT1-MMP metalloprotease protein that is closely related to ADAM10 but has a minimal effect on promotion of expression and function. TSPAN12 also seems to regulate vascular development, as shown by a study involving TSPAN12 knockout mice

Knockout mouse

A knockout mouse is a genetically engineered mouse in which researchers have inactivated, or "knocked out," an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA...

.

External links

• GeneReviews/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy, Autosomal Dominant