Junctophilin 4 (JPH4)

Phagocytosis is important during development and in the immune response for the removal of apoptotic cells and pathogens, yet its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the CED2/5/10/12 pathway regulates actin during phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, whereas the role of the CED1/6/7 pathway in phagocytosis is unclear. JPH4 encodes a member of the junctophilin family of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the formation of the junctional membrane complexes between the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum in excitable cells. The encoded protein contains a conserved N-terminal repeat region called the membrane occupation and recognition nexus sequence that is found in other members of the junctophilin family. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.