Myosin XVIIIB (MYO18B)

Myosin-XVIIIb is a protein protein functions as a homodimer and may interact with F actin. Mutations in this gene are associated with lung cancer.The full-length cDNA encodes a deduced 2,567-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of about 285 kD.

MYO18B has an N-terminal head (motor) domain, a neck region containing an IQ motif, and a C-terminal tail containing a short coiled-coil domain that allows dimerization to form a 2-headed structure. The head region contains a consensus ATP-binding site, part of an actin-binding region, and a GPA (gly-pro-ala) motif that is believed to interact with F actin. MYO18B shares 40% identity with the human and mouse MYSPDZ (TIAF1) proteins.