Background of the antigen
FAM48A is a 779 amino acid protein that interacts with p38 MAP kinase. Specifically, FAM48A and p38 are required for downregulation of E-cadherin during gastrulation. In adult tissues, FAM48A is highly expressed in testis and moderately expressed in brain and pituitary gland. It is also expressed in several fetal tissues, including lung, brain, thymus and kidney. Expression of FAM48A has been shown to be downregulated in malignant prostate tissues. The gene encoding FAM48A maps to human chromosome 13, which houses over 400 genes and comprises approximately 4% of the human genome. Key tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 13 include the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2, and the RB1 (retinoblastoma) gene.
