This gene encodes a member of the membrane-spanning 4A gene family. Members of this nascent protein family are characterized by common structural features and similar intron/exon splice boundaries and display unique expression patterns among hematopoietic cells and nonlymphoid tissues. This gene encodes a B-lymphocyte surface molecule which plays a role in the development and differentiation of B-cells into plasma cells. This family member is localized to 11q12, among a cluster of family members. Alternative splicing of this gene results in two transcript variants which encode the same protein. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008] CIViC Summary for MS4A1 Gene
Forensic Context
A study in humans analyzing peripheral blood from elderly hip fracture patients identified MS4A1 as a biomarker for B cell identification and was used to define B cell clusters in single-cell RNA sequencing analyses [Lu et al. DOI:10.1186/s12979-023-00380-6]. A review of single-cell sequencing studies in mouse models of myocardial infarction identified the MS4A1 as a characteristic marker for B-cell populations, specifically defining the B-cell-Cd20 cluster within the heterogeneous cardiac immune landscape following injury [Xinxin Bian et al. DOI:10.3892/mmr.2025.13680].