Uveal Autoantigen With Coiled Coil Domains And Ankyrin Repeats (UACA)

Using a human sequence homologous to the bovine UACA sequence to screen a Jurkat cell cDNA library, they isolated the human homolog, which was found have the same sequence as KIAA1561. Human UACA encodes a deduced 1,449-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of approximately 166 kD. It contains 6 ankyrin repeats, a leucine zipper motif, and coiled-coil domains. The bovine and human proteins share 86% sequence homology. Northern blot analysis demonstrated expression at various levels in all tissues analyzed, with highest expression in skeletal muscle.the prevalence of IgG anti-UACA autoantibodies in patients with panuveitis was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (19.6-28.1% vs 0%, p less than 0.05), indicating that autoimmunity directed against UACA is a common phenomenon in these diseases.