{"symbol":"TSPO","synonyms":["PKBS","PTBR","MDRC","BPBS","PK18","IBP","PBS","DBI","BZRP","PBR","MBR"],"name":"translocator protein (18kDa)","description":"Present mainly in the mitochondrial compartment of peripheral tissues, the protein encoded by this gene interacts with some benzodiazepines and has different affinities than its endogenous counterpart. The protein is a key factor in the flow of cholesterol into mitochondria to permit the initiation of steroid hormone synthesis. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been reported; one of the variants lacks an internal exon and is considered non-coding, and the other variants encode the same protein. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2012]","ncbiEntrezGeneId":706,"ncbiEntrezGeneUrl":"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/706","proteins":[{"symbol":"TSPOB_HUMAN","href":"/api/1.0/protein/TSPOB_HUMAN"}],"hgncRootFamilies":[]}