Myosin heavy chain 16 (MYH16)

Myosin heavy chain 16 is a member of the myosin superfamily, which are molecular motor proteins involved in actin-based motility and ATP hydrolysis, historically expressed in the masticatory muscles of nonhuman primates. In humans, MYH16 is a pseudogene with uncertain protein-coding status. Its inactivation in the human lineage is hypothesized to have reduced jaw muscle size and potentially contributed to the evolutionary expansion of the human brain. While peptide evidence suggests the possibility of a truncated protein expressed in humans, it likely does not retain typical contractile motor function[2][3][1]. MYH16 is not considered a therapeutic target in humans, as it is a pseudogene without an established functional protein product or disease-modifying role in current biomedical contexts[2][3]. In nonhuman primates, its ortholog encodes a sarcomeric myosin involved in jaw muscle contraction, but this function is lost in humans. There are no known drugs, mechanisms of action, biomarkers, or relevant safety data associated with this entity, and its primary importance is in evolutionary and comparative genomics, not clinical targeting.

Other names

MYH16PMYH5MHC20[2][3]