Ectodermal Neural Cortex Protein 1 (ENC1)

Human and mouse ENC1 share 99% amino acid identity. The deduced 589-amino acid ENC1 protein has a 114-amino acid BTB/POZ-like domain in the alpha-helical N terminus and a beta sheet bearing a 50-amino acid 'kelch' motif repeated 6 times in the C terminus. The kelch motif invariably contains 2 adjacent glycine residues and shares homology with several actin-associated proteins, including the Drosophila kelch protein. Northern blot analysis detected abundant expression of a 5.5-kb ENC1 transcript in fetal brain, with moderate expression in fetal heart, lung, and kidney. In adult tissues, high levels of ENC1 were detected in brain, particularly in amygdala and hippocampus, and lower levels were detected in pancreas.