Tetraspanin 31 (TSPAN31)

Tetraspanin-31 is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily, also known as the tetraspanin family. Most of these members are cell-surface proteins that are characterized by the presence of four hydrophobic domains. The proteins mediate signal transduction events that play a role in the regulation of cell development, activation, growth and motility.

This encoded protein is thought to be involved in growth-related cellular processes. This gene is associated with tumorigenesis and osteosarcoma.Since amplification of cellular oncogenes occurs frequently in human cancers, identification of amplified genes in tumor cells is a useful approach for understanding genetic alterations.