Tripartite Motif Containing Protein 36 (TRIM36)

The deduced 728-amino acid protein has an N-terminal RING finger C3HC4 structure, 2 B-boxes, a coiled-coil region, a fibronectin type III domain and a C-terminal domain found in SPRY proteins. TRIM36 also contains a bipartite nuclear localization signal. TRIM36 shares 26% amino acid identity with MID1. Quantitative RT-PCR detected highest TRIM36 expression in testis, followed by prostate and brain, with weak expression in kidney, lung, and heart. TRIM36 expression was upregulated in some prostate cancers compared with normal tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis of recombinant and endogenous TRIM36 in COS-7 cells showed the protein expressed in a slightly filamentous staining pattern in the cytoplasm. TRIM36 often accumulated near sites of cell-cell contact, and mitotic cells were negative for TRIM36 staining.