The product of this gene belongs to the syntaxin/epimorphin family of proteins. The syntaxins are a large protein family implicated in the targeting and fusion of intracellular transport vesicles. The product of this gene regulates epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and epithelial cell morphogenesis and activation. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in mice selectively bred for high or low methamphetamine consumption identified the STX2 as a differentially wired gene in the prefrontal cortex, indicating its involvement in the transcriptomic networks associated with innate risk for addiction [Hitzemann et al. DOI:10.3390/brainsci9070155]. In a separate study on rats with contusive spinal cord injury, the STX2 was found to be downregulated in the injury epicenter at 35 days post-injury, indicating its involvement in synaptic vesicle protein changes following neural trauma [Aimone et al. DOI:10.1016/j.expneurol.2004.05.042].