MYH9 : myosin heavy chain 9
Description
The MYH9 (myosin heavy chain 9) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 22.
The MYH9 gene provides instructions for making a protein called myosin-9. This protein is one part (subunit) of the myosin IIA protein. There are three forms of myosin II, called myosin IIA, myosin IIB and myosin IIC. They play roles in cell movement (cell motility); maintenance of cell shape; and cytokinesis, which is the step in cell division when the fluid surrounding the nucleus (the cytoplasm) divides to form two separate cells. While some cells use more than one type of myosin II, certain blood cells such as platelets and white blood cells (leukocytes) use only myosin IIA. Each type of myosin II protein consists of two heavy chains and four light chains. The heavy chains each have two parts: a head region and a tail region. The head region interacts with actin, a protein that is important for cell movement and shape. The long tail region interacts with other proteins, including the tail regions of other myosin proteins.
MYH9 encodes a protein that is involved in cytokinesis, cell shape, and specialized functions such as secretion and capping. It is required for cortical actin clearance prior to oocyte exocytosis. MYH9 promotes cell motility in conjunction with S100A4. During cell spreading, it plays an important role in cytoskeleton reorganization, focal contact formation (in the margins but not the central part of spreading cells), and lamellipodial retraction. This function is mechanically antagonized by MYH10.
MYH9 is also known as BDPLT6, DFNA17, EPSTS, FTNS, MATINS, MHA, NMHC-II-A, NMMHC-IIA, NMMHCA.
Associated Diseases
- Deafness, autosomal dominant nonsyndromic sensorineural 17
- MYH9-related disease
- Macrothrombocytopenia and granulocyte inclusions with or without nephritis or sensorineural hearing loss
- Nonsyndromic hearing loss
- MYH9-related disorder
