Zinc Finger Protein 622 (ZNF622)

ZPR9 was phosphorylated by Melk both in vitro and in vivo. When expressed alone, ZPR9 exhibited cytosolic and nuclear localization; however, coexpression of ZPR9 with Melk resulted in nuclear localization of ZPR9.The predicted 477-amino acid ZPR9 protein contains 3 putative zinc finger motifs. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.7-kb ZPR9 transcript expressed at high levels in lung, brain, and spleen and at low levels in kidney and liver. ZPR9 enhanced the transcriptional activity of BMYB on a reporter plasmid in a dose-dependent manner, and coexpression of ZPR9 and BMYB in 293T cells caused accumulation of both proteins in the nucleus. Constitutive expression of ZPR9 in retinoic acid-treated neuroblastoma cells or 293T cells induced apoptosis, but coexpression of ZPR9 with BMYB inhibited this apoptosis.