ezrin; p81; cytovillin; Villin-2 (EZR VIL2)

Function

• probably involved in connections of major cytoskeletal structures to the plasma membrane
• associated with actin/integrin focal contacts
• in epithelial cells, required for the formation of microvilli & membrane ruffles on the apical pole
• along with PLEKHG6, required for normal macropinocytosis
• phosphorylated by tyrosine-protein kinases
• interacts with MPP5 (putative)
• interacts with SLC9A3R1 & SCYL3/PACE1
• interacts with PLEKHG6
• interacts with NGX6

Structure

contains 1 FERM domain

Compartment

• apical cell membrane
• peripheral membrane protein; cytoplasmic side
• cell projection, microvillus membrane
• cell projection, ruffle membrane
• cytoplasm, cell cortex. cytoplasm, cytoskeleton
• localization to the apical membrane of parietal cells depends on the interaction with MPP5
• localizes to cell extensions & peripheral processes of astrocytes (putative)
• microvillar peripheral membrane protein (cytoplasmic side)

Expression

• expressed in cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, hippocampus, hypophysis, & optic nerve
• weakly expressed in brain stem & diencephalon
• stronger expression in gray matter of frontal lobe compared to white matter (at protein level)
• component of microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells
• preferentially expressed in astrocytes of hippocampus, frontal cortex, thalamus, parahippocampal cortex, amygdala, insula, & corpus callosum
• not detected in neurons in most tissues studied
• very strong staining is detected in the Purkinje cell layer & in part of the molecular layer of the infant brain compared to adult brain

More general terms

• villin
• phosphoprotein

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P15311.html
• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=7430
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:7430
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/123900