Desmoyokin (AHNAK)

The first of these genes identified encoded the cell surface protein CD44, an integral membrane glycoprotein that is the principal receptor for hyaluronate on the cell surface. A second gene, originally designated PM227, attracted their attention because its expression appeared to be coordinated with that of CD44. The amino acid sequence of AHNAK suggested secondary structure with a periodicity of 2.33 residues per turn. Individual chains could associate to form a 7- or 8-stranded barrel. The resulting structure would be a polyionic rod with length as great as 1.2 microns. Preliminary evidence indicated that the protein resides predominantly within the nucleus, but no function had been discerned. The highly conserved repeated elements were, for the most part, 128 amino acids long.