Rho GTPase Activating Protein 29 (ARHGAP29)

Using the PDZ domains of PTPL1 (PTPN13) to identify interacting proteins, followed by peptide sequencing, EST database analysis, and screening of a skeletal muscle cDNA library, Saras et al. (1997) cloned ARHGAP29, which they called PARG1. The deduced 1,261-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 142 kD. It contains an N-terminal ZPH (C. elegans ZK669.1a and PARG homology) region, a central cysteine-rich domain, and a C-terminal GAP domain. The cysteine-rich domain is similar to a Zn(2+)-binding regulatory region of the protein kinase C family . Northern blot analysis detected a 5.5-kb transcript in all tissues examined. Expression was highest in skeletal muscle and heart, moderate in placenta, liver, and pancreas, and low in brain, lung, and kidney.