Tetraspanin-2 (TSPAN2)

Tetraspanin-2 is a member of the tetraspanin family of four-pass transmembrane proteins characterized by four hydrophobic transmembrane domains and two extracellular loops (one large and one small). Tetraspanin-2 is most closely related to CD9 and CD81, and is localized to cell membranes where it participates in organizing specialized membrane microdomains[1][4]. It is implicated in signaling during oligodendrocyte development—the differentiation of cells responsible for myelination in the central nervous system—and may also play a role in the motility and invasive potential of cancer cells, thereby participating in metastasis[1][5]. Research indicates possible roles in tumor progression as well as in signal transduction associated with neural cell differentiation, although tetraspanin-2 is less well-characterized at the protein level compared to other family members[1][5].

Other names

Tspan2TSPAN-2

Modulation of cell motility and invasion (for any conceivable therapeutic strategy against metastasis); Regulation of oligodendrocyte signaling and differentiation