Neuronatin (NNAT)

Neuronatin is a proteolipid that may be involved in the regulation of ion channels during brain development. The encoded protein may also play a role in forming and maintaining the structure of the nervous system. This gene is found within an intron of the BLCAP gene, but on the opposite strand. This gene is imprinted and is expressed only from the paternal allele. Two transcript variants encoding two different isoforms have been found for this gene.The gene is expressed in 2 mRNA species, alpha and beta, generated by alternative splicing. The alpha form contains all the exons, whereas in the beta form the middle exon is spliced out. The third nucleotide of all frequently used codons, except threonine, of neuronatin is either G or C, consistent with codon usage expected for Homo sapiens.