Epithelial V Like Antigen 1 (EVA1)

EVA1 is expressed in the thymus and in several epithelial structures early in embryogenesis. It is highly homologous to the myelin protein zero and, in thymus-derived epithelial cell lines, is poorly soluble in nonionic detergents, strongly suggesting an association to the cytoskeleton. Its capacity to mediate cell adhesion through a homophilic interaction and its selective regulation by T cell maturation might imply the participation of EVA in the earliest phases of thymus organogenesis. The protein bears a characteristic V-type domain and two potential N-glycosylation sites in the extracellular domain; a putative serine phosphorylation site for casein kinase 2 is also present in the cytoplasmic tail. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.