Myosin Heavy Chain 14, Non Muscle (MYH14)

Myosin-14 is a member of the myosin superfamily. Myosins are actin-dependent motor proteins with diverse functions including regulation of cytokinesis, cell motility, and cell polarity. Mutations in this gene result in one form of autosomal dominant hearing impairment. Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. Expression was also detected in brain, heart, colon, kidney, liver, small intestine, and lung, but not in thymus, spleen, placenta, and lymphocytes. RNA dot blot analysis detected elevated MYH14 expression in corpus callosum. Little MYH14 was detected in organs composed mainly of smooth muscle, such as aorta, uterus, and bladder. Human fetal tissues showed little or no MYH14 expression compared with adult tissues.