Genetic evidence for tetraspanin functions

Abstract

Tetraspanin proteins have been suggested to associate with many different cell surface partner proteins, and in vitro studies have suggested involvement in a wide variety of cellular functions. However, knockout phenotypes in mice have so far been relatively mild, and there have been few clear examples of human tetraspanin mutations having functional consequences. Nonetheless a range of sometimes subtle, but interesting phenotypes are emerging from studies of mouse knockouts, and from analysis of human mutations.