Methylsterol Monooxygenase 1 (MSMO1)

Sterol-C4-mehtyl oxidase-like protein was isolated based on its similarity to the yeast ERG25 protein. It contains a set of putative metal binding motifs with similarity to that seen in a family of membrane desaturases-hydroxylases. The protein is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and is believed to function in cholesterol biosynthesis. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been found for this gene.

The deduced human protein contains 293 amino acids and has at least 4 transmembrane loops. SC4MOL lacks a clear leader sequence and has 2 potential N-glycosylation sites. The human and yeast proteins share 38% sequence identity and conserve 4 histidine clusters typically associated with metal binding.