Background:
Annexin VII is a member of the annexin family of calcium-dependent phospholipid binding proteins.The Annexin VII gene contains 14 exons and spans approximately 34 kb of DNA. An alternatively spliced cassette exon results in two mRNA transcripts of 2.0 and 2.4 kb which are predicted to generate two protein isoforms differing in their N-terminal domain. The alternative splicing event is tissue specific and the mRNA containing the cassette exon is prevalent in brain, heart and skeletal muscle.