Plexin A3 (PLXNA3)

SEX shares significant homology with the extracellular domain of the receptors encoded by the oncogenes MET ,RON, and SEA. The proteins encoded by these genes contain large cytoplasmic domains characterized by a distinctive highly conserved sequence, which they called the SEX domain. Northern blot analysis revealed different expression of the SEX family of genes in fetal tissues, with SEX, OCT, and NOV predominantly expressed in brain, and SEP expressed at highest levels in kidney. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that a mouse SEX homolog has a distinctive pattern of expression in the developing nervous system of the mouse, where it is found in postmitotic neurons from the first stages of neuronal differentiation. The SEX protein (220 kD) is glycosylated and exposed at the cell surface.