Ras Protein Activator Like Protein 2 (RASAL2)

RASAL2 encodes a protein that contains the GAP-related domain (GRD), a characteristic domain of GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). GAPs function as activators of Ras superfamily of small GTPases. The protein encoded by this gene is able to complement the defective RasGAP function in a yeast system. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene encoding distinct isoforms have been reported.The deduced 1,139-amino acid RASAL2 protein contains a GRD domain and a coiled-coil structure at the C terminus. Because RASAL2 appears to be the homolog of GAP2, a RasGAP protein in C. elegans with which it shares 31% sequence identity, the authors called the protein nGAP (where n stands for nematode). RNA blot analysis detected very weak expression of an 8-kb transcript in human tissues.