Background of the antigen
MICAL1 is a 1,067 amino acid protein that localizes to both the cytoplasm and the cytoskeleton and contains one LIM zinc-binding domain and one calponin-homology domain. Expressed in kidney, thymus, spleen, lung and testis, MICAL1 interacts with the SH3 domain of Cas-L and, via this interaction, is thought to function as a cytoskeletal regulator that connects Cas-L to intermediate filaments. MICAL1 also interacts with Rab 1B, plexin-A3 and Vimentin, further regulating cytoskeletal events and possibly playing a role in axonal repulsion. Three isoforms of MICAL1 exist due to alternative splicing events.