Sorting nexin (SNX) proteins are members of a large family of hydrophilic PX (phospholipid-binding motif) domain-containing proteins that interact with a variety of receptor types. SNXs are widely expressed, although the tissue distribution of each SNX mRNA varies. The ability of SNXs to bind specific phospholipids, as well as their tendency to form protein-protein complexes, suggests a role for these proteins in cellular membrane trafficking and protein sorting. SNXs may also function specifically in pro-degradative sorting, internalization, endosomal recycling or simply in endosomal sorting. SNXs partially associate with cellular membranes, despite their hydrophilic nature. SNX7 is unique in that it does not have a coiled coil region like some of the SNX family members. Mutations in the SNX7 gene have not been shown to cause any diseases.
