Erythrocyte Membrane Protein Band 4.1
4.1R
Elliptocytosis 1, RH-Linked
Protein 4.1
Band 4.1
EPB4.1
P4.1
EL1
Erythrocyte Surface Protein Band 4.1
E41P
HE
The protein encoded by this gene, together with spectrin and actin, constitute the red cell membrane cytoskeletal network. This complex plays a critical role in erythrocyte shape and deformability. Mutations in this gene are associated with type 1 elliptocytosis (EL1). Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene.[provided by RefSeq, Oct 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in humans demonstrated that whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing of low-template blood samples (equivalent to 50 pg gDNA) can identify RNA-based SNPs for forensic human identification [Jepsen et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2024.103089]. The EPB41 (rs2249138), located in the EPB41 gene and ranked 7th in expression in whole blood, was identified as one of 24 candidate human identification SNPs, which together achieved a mean match probability of 4.5·10^-9 and showed high genotype concordance with DNA in both fresh and degraded blood stains. A study in humans demonstrated that the EPB41 is a tissue-specific RNA marker used as the target for a blood-specific quantum dot molecular beacon (QDMB) in a confirmatory test for body fluid identification, showing significant fluorescence increase with its target RNA (p < 0.0001) and no detected sexual dimorphism [Young et al. DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.13544]. Another evaluation in humans identified the EPB41 (ANK1) as a moderately expressed and specific mRNA marker for blood in singleplex and multiplex formats, performing well on casework and environmentally exposed samples [Haas et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2010.09.006].