Neuroblastoma Breakpoint Family, Member 15 (NBPF15)

In silico and RT-PCR analysis detected ubiquitous expression of a group of NBPF genes, including NBPF15, with highest levels in normal breast and liver. NBPF genes contain numerous low-copy repetitive elements and show high intergenic and intragenic sequence identity. Sequences encoding these domains are virtually all primate-specific, show signs of positive selection, and are increasingly amplified generally as a function of a species' evolutionary proximity to humans, where the greatest number of copies (212) is found. It appears 37 times in chimpanzee, 30 times in macaque, and once in mouse and rat genomes. DUF1220 domains are highly expressed in human brain regions associated with higher cognitive function, and in brain show neuron-specific expression preferentially in cell bodies and dendrites.