Tyrosine 3/Tryptophan 5 Monooxygenase Activation Protein Zeta (YWHAz)

YWHAz belongs to the 14-3-3 family of proteins which mediate signal transduction by binding to phosphoserine-containing proteins. This highly conserved protein family is found in both plants and mammals, and this protein is 99% identical to the mouse, rat and sheep orthologs.

The deduced 245-amino acid protein shares high sequence homology with other 14-3-3 subtypes. The zeta mRNA was widely expressed in various gray matter brain regions, including the neocortex, hippocampus, caudate-putamen, thalamus, cerebellar cortex, and several brain stem nuclei. A human protein with phospholipase A2 activity was shown to be the zeta subtype of the 14-3-3 protein