Membrane-spanning 4A genes are members of the
CD20-like family. The MS4A genes are usually organized in a single genomic clusters in mammals, suggestive of
gene duplication
Gene duplication (or chromosomal duplication or gene amplification) is a major mechanism through which new genetic material is generated during molecular evolution. It can be defined as any duplication of a region of DNA that contains a gene ...
events.
MS4A genes encode a class of four-transmembrane spanning proteins. MS4A genes have been described to act as a specific kind of
olfactory receptor
Olfactory receptors (ORs), also known as odorant receptors, are chemoreceptors expressed in the cell membranes of olfactory receptor neurons and are responsible for the detection of odorants (for example, compounds that have an odor) which give ...
in the necklace
olfactory sensory neurons in mice (
Mus musculus
The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus ''Mus (genu ...
).
[Greer PL, Bear DM, Lassance JM, Bloom ML, Tsukahara T, Pashkovski SL, Masuda FK, Nowlan AC, Kirchner R, Hoekstra HE, et al. 2016. A family of non-GPCR chemosensors defines an alternative logic for mammalian olfaction. Cell. 165:1734–1748]
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.001
In human (''
Homo sapiens
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
'') the members of this family include:
*
MS4A1 (better known as "CD20")
*
MS4A2
*
MS4A3
*
MS4A4A
*
MS4A4E
*
MS4A5
*
MS4A6A
*
MS4A6E
*
MS4A7
*
MS4A8
*
MS4A9
*
MS4A10
*
MS4A12
*
MS4A13
*
MS4A14
*
MS4A15
*
MS4A18
References
Gene families
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