PGAP3

This gene encodes a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-specific phospholipase that primarily localizes to the Golgi apparatus. This ubiquitously expressed gene is predicted to encode a seven-transmembrane protein that removes unsaturated fatty acids from the sn-2 position of GPI. The remodeling of the constituent fatty acids on GPI is thought to be important for the proper association between GPI-anchored proteins and lipid rafts. The tethering of proteins to plasma membranes via posttranslational GPI-anchoring is thought to play a role in protein sorting and trafficking. Mutations in this gene cause the autosomal recessive neurologic disorder hyperphosphatasia with mental retardation syndrome 4 (HPMRS4). Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.