Erythrocyte Membrane Protein Band 4.1 Like Protein 5 (EPB41L5)

The deduced EPB41L5 and moe proteins share 61% overall sequence identity and 87% identity in the N terminus. Both proteins contain a conserved FERM domain present in members of the EPB41 family of cytoskeletal proteins. RT-PCR ELISA detected expression in all tissues tested, with highest expression in kidney, ovary, and brain.

Epb41L5 binds to conserved motifs in Crb1, Crb2, Crb3, and Mpp5, and is a component of the Crumbs polarity complex first identified in Drosophila. They concluded that EPB41L5 is likely to be important in cell polarity processes in many epithelial-derived tissues in addition to the retina.the Yrt/Cora group is essential for epithelial polarity during organogenesis but not when epithelial polarity is first established or during terminal differentiation.