Mab21 Like Protein 1 (MAB21L1)

MAB21L1 is similar to the MAB-21 cell fate-determining gene found in C. elegans. It may be involved in eye and cerebellum development, and it has been proposed that expansion of a trinucleotide repeat region in the 5' UTR may play a role in a variety of psychiatric disorders.The C. elegans mab21 gene participates in the formation of sensory organs in the male nematode tail and is essential for other developmental functions elsewhere in the embryo. The 2 mammalian genes, which encode 41-kD nuclear basic proteins, are expressed in partially overlapping territories in the embryonic brain, eye, and limbs, as well as in neural crest derivatives. The gene encodes a 359-amino acid protein that is homologous to the C. elegans cell fate-determining protein mab21 (56% identical and 81% conserved amino acids).