Integrin Alpha 7 (ITGa7)

ITGA7 encodes integrin alpha chain 7. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins composed of an alpha chain and a beta chain. Alpha chain 7 undergoes post-translational cleavage within the extracellular domain to yield disulfide-linked light and heavy chains that join with beta 1 to form an integrin that binds to the extracellular matrix protein laminin-1. Alpha 7 beta 1 is the major integrin complex expressed in differentiated muscle cells.

Splice variants of alpha 7 that differ in both the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains exist in the mouse; however, to date only a single human transcript type has been isolated: it contains extracellular and cytoplasmic domains corresponding to the mouse X2 and B variants, respectively.