Developmentally Regulated GTP Binding Protein 2 (DRG2)

The DRG2 gene encodes the developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2, a name derived from the fact that it shares significant similarity to known GTP-binding proteins. DRG2 was identified because it is expressed in normal fibroblasts but not in SV40-transformed fibroblasts. Read-through transcripts containing this gene and a downstream gene have been identified, but they are not thought to encode a fusion protein. This gene is located within the Smith-Magenis syndrome region on chromosome 17. DRG2 contains the 5 sequence motifs that are conserved in all GTP-binding proteins. Northern blot analysis detected DRG2 expression as a major 2-kb and a minor 1.5-kb transcript in various tissues. The shorter mRNA appeared to result from use of an alternative polyadenylation site.