Regenerating Islet Derived Protein 3 Gamma (REG3g)

REG3G encodes a deduced 175-amino acid protein, with a predicted molecular mass of 16.5 kD after cleavage of a putative 26-amino acid N-terminal signal peptide. Two REG3G splice forms, with identical coding sequences but different 5-prime UTRs, were identified. The REG3G and REG3A proteins share 85% sequence homology. Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR experiments showed that REG3G is strongly expressed in pancreas, moderately in testis, and weakly in heart, kidney, and placenta. Further RT-PCR analysis of pancreas-derived cell lines showed that REG3G expression is limited to exocrine pancreas. Using 3-dimensional protein structural modeling, they showed that although REG3G and REG1A share similar structural features, they display distinctive surface charge distributions.