Semaphorin 6B (SEMA6B)

SEMA6B encodes a member of the semaphorin family, a group of proteins characterized by the presence of a conserved semaphorin (sema) domain. The protein encoded by this gene may be involved in both peripheral and central nervous system development. The deduced protein contains 517 amino acids. By database analysis, they identified 2 additional SEMA6B splice variants that encode deduced proteins of 687 and 888 amino acids that differ in their C-terminal halves. These larger proteins contain a putative transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. Northern blot analysis detected a 4.5-kb transcript expressed at higher levels in brain and heart and at lower levels in spleen, placenta, and lung. Expression was also detected in 2 human glioblastoma cell lines.