SVOPL, a member of the SV2-related protein family, shares structural similarity with the Major Facilitator family of transporters. While its exact function remains to be fully elucidated, it may be involved in processes related to cell survival, as some studies hint at its potential role in this aspect. It is expressed in various tissues, and its expression may be associated with certain biological pathways, though these have not been comprehensively defined [1,5]. Genetic models could potentially be valuable in further exploring its function.

In colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis, allelic switching of SVOPL was identified. The most abundantly expressed allele in normal tissue is the lowest expressed allele in the tumor and vice versa. This allelic switch may result from transcriptional down-regulation, suggesting that SVOPL could play a role in CRC development [1]. In a molecular autopsy study of pregnancy losses, SVOPL was proposed as a novel candidate gene linked to embryonic lethality based on the embryonic lethality of its orthologs [2]. In a study on vaccine cell lines, knocking-down SVOPL enhanced virus replication, indicating its involvement in host-virus interaction mechanisms [3]. In a Korean cohort, a locus near SVOPL (rs117495448) showed near genome-wide significance in association with left-handedness, suggesting a potential link to brain-related functions [4]. In the context of chromosome 7-related uniparental disomy, SVOPL showed differential expression and was confirmed to have maternal-only expression, suggesting an imprinted-gene-like behavior [5]. In breast cancer, low expression of SVOPL was associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival, and it was negatively correlated with some immune cell types [6]. In ovariectomized chickens, SVOPL was among the differentially expressed genes, indicating a possible role in the inflammatory reaction in the liver due to ovarian absence [7].

In summary, SVOPL appears to be involved in multiple biological processes and disease-related conditions. Its role in CRC, embryonic development, host-virus interactions, handedness, imprinting-related mechanisms, breast cancer, and ovarian-related liver inflammation has been suggested through various studies. Further research using gene knockout or other functional studies could potentially clarify its exact functions and significance in these biological and disease contexts.

References:

1. Boot, Arnoud, Oosting, Jan, Doorn, Saskia, Morreau, Hans, van Wezel, Tom. 2019. Allelic Switching of DLX5, GRB10, and SVOPL during Colorectal Cancer Tumorigenesis. In International journal of genomics, 2019, 1287671. doi:10.1155/2019/1287671. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31093489/

2. Shamseldin, Hanan E, Kurdi, Wesam, Almusafri, Fatima, Faqeih, Eissa, Alkuraya, Fowzan S. 2017. Molecular autopsy in maternal-fetal medicine. In Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, 20, 420-427. doi:10.1038/gim.2017.111. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28749478/

3. Murray, Jackelyn, Todd, Kyle V, Bakre, Abhijeet, Wu, Weilin, Tripp, Ralph A. 2017. A universal mammalian vaccine cell line substrate. In PloS one, 12, e0188333. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29176782/

4. Song, Youhyun, Lee, Dasom, Choi, Ja-Eun, Lee, Ji Won, Hong, Kyung-Won. 2023. Genome-wide association and replication studies for handedness in a Korean community-based cohort. In Brain and behavior, 13, e3121. doi:10.1002/brb3.3121. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37337823/

5. Hannula-Jouppi, Katariina, Muurinen, Mari, Lipsanen-Nyman, Marita, Greco, Dario, Kere, Juha. 2013. Differentially methylated regions in maternal and paternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 7. In Epigenetics, 9, 351-65. doi:10.4161/epi.27160. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24247273/

6. Zhao, Ruipeng, Wei, Wan, Zhen, Linlin. 2023. WGCNA-based identification of potential targets and pathways in response to treatment in locally advanced breast cancer patients. In Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland), 18, 20230651. doi:10.1515/med-2023-0651. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36896338/

7. Shao, Fan, Bao, Haigang, Li, Hongwei, Ling, Yao, Wu, Changxin. 2020. Ovary removal modifies liver message RNA profiles in single Comb White Leghorn chickens. In Poultry science, 99, 1813-1821. doi:10.1016/j.psj.2019.12.036. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32241461/