ITGB1BP2 is a muscle-specific protein cloned by a rat created by Branccio's group in Italy that was found to interact with the cytoplasmic domain of integrin beta 11. It is expressed only in heart and skeletal muscle but is not essential for normal development and differentiation of these tissues. Branccio's group published a follow-up study in Nature Medicine using an ITGB1BP2 antibody that the protein plays a critical role in sensing mechanical stress due to pressure overloading2.
