Synaptopodin (SYNPO)

Synaptopodin is an actin-associated protein that may play a role in actin-based cell shape and motility. The name synaptopodin derives from the protein's associations with postsynaptic densities and dendritic spines and with renal podocytes.

Mouse and human SYNPO share 84% amino acid identity. SYNPO contains a high proline content (20%), making it unlikely that SYNPO forms a globular domain. It has several potential phosphorylation sites and 2 PPxY motifs, which interact with WW domain proteins. Northern blot analysis of human cerebral cortex detected a 4.4-kb transcript. Western blot analysis detected synaptopodin in rat brain beginning at embryonic day 15, with maximal expression in adult animals.