Sterile Alpha Motif Domain Containing Protein 4 (SaMD4)

The deduced protein contains 508 amino acids. RT-PCR ELISA detected highest expression in heart, skeletal muscle, and spinal cord. Expression was intermediate in whole adult and fetal brain, adult lung, liver, ovary, and all specific brain regions examined, and lower in kidney and testis. Little to no expression was detected in pancreas, spleen, and fetal liver.The deduced human, mouse, and Drosophila proteins contain 2 Smaug similarity regions at the N terminus and a central SAM domain. Western blot analysis detected Smaug1 at about 70 kD in mouse and rat brain extracts. Mouse Smaug1 was enriched in neuronal postsynaptic densities. Following transfection in COS-7, HeLa, or baby hamster kidney cells, human SMAUG1 concentrated in cytoplasmic granules of about 0.5 to 2.0 micrometers.