RB Associated KRAB Zinc Finger Protein (RBAK)

The RBAK gene encodes a member of the KRAB/zinc finger family of transcriptional repressors.The cDNA, which the authors designated RBAK (RB-associated KRAB), encodes a deduced 714-amino acid human protein that shares 78% overall sequence identity with the mouse protein. Both the human and mouse proteins contain the transcriptional repressor motifs KRAB A and B in the N terminus, tandemly repeated Kruppel-type zinc fingers in the C terminus, and a central linker region. The human protein has a calculated molecular mass of approximately 80 kD. Northern blot analysis detected a 5.5-kb transcript in all human tissues tested, which included heart, brain, placenta, lung, liver, skeleton, kidney, and pancreas. Transfection experiments showed that RBAK localizes to the nucleus.