Background information
SHARPIN is a 387 amino acid protein that localizes to the cytoplasm and contains one RanBP2-type zinc finger. Expressed at high levels in placenta and skeletal muscle and present at lower levels in colon, brain, heart, liver, kidney, lung, thymus and small intestine, SHARPIN interacts with Shank 1 and is thought to play a role in the control of inflammatory responses and in the overall development of the immune system. SHARPIN exists as three alternatively spliced isoforms and shares 73% sequence identity with its mouse counterpart, suggesting a conserved role between species. The gene encoding SHARPIN 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.
