Background information
MEGF10 is a 1,140 amino acid protein encoded by the human gene MEGF10. MEGF10 belongs to the MEGF family and contains fifteen EGF-like domains and one EMI domain. The engulfment of dying cells is a specialized form of phagocytosis that is highly conserved across evolution and is mediated by the concerted action of several molecules. MEGF10 is an engulfment receptor protein that localizes to the plasma membrane in a punctuated pattern. The MEGF10 protein shares structural similarities with nematode engulfment receptor cell death abnormal-1 (CED-1). MEGF10 function is modulated by the ATP binding cassette transporter ABCA1, which is an ortholog to CED-7. It is expressed at the cell surface in clusters around cell corpses during engulfment, and during the engulfment of apoptotic thymocytes is recruited to the bottom of the forming phagocytic cup.
