Tetraspanin 16 (TSPAN16)

TSPAN16 is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily. Most of these members are cell-surface proteins that are characterized by the presence of four hydrophobic domains. The proteins mediate signal transduction events that play a role in the regulation of cell development, activation, growth and motility. This encoded protein might couple to signal transduction pathways and possibly modulate cellular activation and adhesion in haemopoietic and neural tissue.

TM4-B is a novel member of the Tetraspanin superfamily and displays characteristics typical of the superfamily. It bears significant homology to other superfamily members and is most similar to Tspan-1. This molecule is broadly expressed in most human tissues and cell lines including neural and bone marrow derived tissues. TM4-B was mapped to the q34 region on human chromosome 9.