AlkB, Alkylation Repair Homolog 8 (ALKBH8)

The deduced 664-amino acid protein has an N-terminal RNA-binding motif, followed by an AlkB homology domain and a C-terminal methyltransferase domain. The AlkB homology domain is predicted to function as a 2-oxoglutarate- and Fe(II)-dependent (2OG-FE(II)) oxygenase domain. Database analysis suggested the presence of an ALKBH8 splice variant that encodes a protein lacking the 2OG-FE(II) oxygenase domain due to a frameshift. Quantitative real-time PCR detected variable ABH8 expression in all 16 tissues examined, with highest expression in spleen, pancreas, and lung. Fluorescence-tagged ABH8 was expressed in the cytoplasm, but not nucleus, of transfected HeLa cells.Silencing of ALKBH8 reduced invasion and angiogenesis of cancer cells in vitro and suppressed tumor formation in athymic nude mice.