Background information
BAALC is a 180 amino acid protein that localizes to both the membrane and the cytoplasm and exists as multiple alternatively spliced isoforms. Expressed by hematopoetic and neural cells, BAALC interacts with CaMKII and is thought to play a role in synaptic function at postsynaptic lipid rafts. BAALC may be overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), suggesting a role in tumorigenesis. The gene encoding BAALC maps to human chromosome 8, which consists of nearly 146 million base pairs, houses more than 800 genes and is associated with a variety of diseases and malignancies. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Trisomy 8, Pfeiffer syndrome, congenital hypothyroidism, Waardenburg syndrome and some leukemias and lymphomas are thought to occur as a result of defects in specific genes that maps to chromosome 8.
