BolA Like Protein 1 (BOLA1)

By searching databases for sequences similar to E. coli BolA, followed by RT-PCR of total brain RNA, Zhou et al. (2008) cloned human BOLA1, BOLA2, and BOLA3. The deduced 137-amino acid BOLA1 protein has an apparent N-terminal signal peptide, followed by a BolA domain containing a helix-turn-helix motif. RT-PCR analysis detected BOLA1 expression in all normal human tissues examined. BOLA1 was secreted into the culture medium of transfected COS-7 cells. Secretion did not require the putative N-terminal signal peptide, and no BOLA1 was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus, suggesting that BOLA1 was secreted via a nonclassical pathway.Zhou et al. (2008) determined that the BOLA1 gene contains 2 exons. The entire coding region is located within exon 2.