SV2 Related Protein Homolog (SVOP)

Northern blot analysis detected brain-specific expression of Svop; expression began during late embryonic development and increased postnatally. Subcellular fractionation, followed by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis, detected Svop enriched in rat brain synaptic vesicles. Immunohistochemical analysis of rat cerebellum detected Svop in all synaptic layers. Svop was also expressed in bovine adrenal medulla, where it was highly enriched in microsomes and relatively excluded from chromaffin granules.The deduced 548-amino acid protein has 12 putative transmembrane domains. Quantitative real-time PCR detected high expression of rat Svop in all coronal brain sections and most specific brain regions examined, with highest levels in hindbrain, cerebellum, and pineal gland. Little to no expression was detected in peripheral tissues.