Family With Sequence Similarity 21, Member C (FAM21C)

VPEF, is conserved in mouse, human, and Chinese hamster. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy showed that fluorescence-tagged or endogenous VPEF associated with plasma membrane lipid rafts and intracellular vesicles in HeLa cells.The deduced protein contains 1,353 amino acids. RT-PCR detected robust FAM21C expression in all tissues examined.IMV transiently associate with FAM21C during virus entry in a postattachment penetration step. Small interfering RNA targeting VPEF reduced virus penetration. VPEF also participated in intracellular transport of dextran, which undergoes fluid-phase endocytosis, but not transferrin (TF), which undergoes clathrin-mediated endocytosis. VPEF partly colocalized with RAB11A, a recycling endosome marker.