The classic group of MBP isoforms (isoform 4-isoform 13) are with PLP the most abundant protein components of the myelin membrane in the CNS. They have a role in both its formation and stabilization. The non-classic group of MBP isoforms (isoform 1-isoform 3/Golli-MBPs) may preferentially have a role in the early developing brain long before myelination, maybe as components of transcriptional complexes, and may also be involved in signaling pathways in T-cells and neural cells. Differential splicing events combined to optional post-translational modifications give a wide spectrum of isomers, with each of them potentially having a specialized function.
