Synaptojanin 1 (SYNJ1)

Synaptojanin-1 is a phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) that has a role in clathrin-coated pit dynamics. The authors found that synaptojanin-170, an alternatively spliced isoform of SYNJ1, binds EPS15 , a clathrin coat-associated protein. Binding was mediated by the C-terminal region of synaptojanin-170, which contains 3 asparagine-proline-phenylalanine (NPF) repeats.

This motif had been found to be the core of the binding site for the EH domains of EPS15. These findings suggested that SYNJ1 can be recruited to clathrin-coated pits via a multiplicity of interactions.These Synj1-deficient mice exhibited neurologic defects and died shortly after birth.