Membrane Spanning 4 Domains Subfamily A, Member 4 (MS4A4)

MS4A4 encodes a member of the membrane-spanning 4A gene family. Members of this nascent protein family are characterized by common structural features and similar intron/exon splice boundaries and display unique expression patterns among hematopoietic cells and nonlymphoid tissues. Alternative splicing of this gene results in several transcript variants; however, not all transcripts have been fully described. The deduced 205-amino acid protein has a conserved phosphorylation site at the intracellular loop. Northern blot analysis revealed weak expression in mouse colon and intestine but detected no expression in human tissues.The predicted 220-amino acid protein is more than 40% identical to its mouse homologs. PCR analysis detected variable expression of MS4A4A in cDNA from multiple hemopoietic cell lines.