Cell Growth Regulator With EF-Hand Domain 1 (CGREF1)

A full-length CGR11 cDNA cloned from a human fetal brain cDNA library encodes a deduced 301-amino acid protein with a highly conserved putative Ca(2+)-binding EF-hand motif. The human and rat CGR11 proteins share 65% overall sequence identity and nearly 100% in the EF-hand motif. The human protein has 4 clustered 17-amino acid repeats within the C terminus, suggesting a structure resembling 4 alpha-helical domains interrupted by distinct turns. Northern blot analysis of rat tissues demonstrated expression of CGR11 predominantly in whole brain and kidney, with limited expression in heart, lung, liver, and skeletal muscle and no expression in spleen and testis. Transfection assay experiments demonstrated that CGR11 is able to inhibit growth in several cell lines.