Molecular cloning of ERp29, a novel and widely expressed resident of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract

We have isolated a full-length cDNA clone for a novel 29 kDa protein that is highly expressed in rat enamel cells. The clone encodes a 259-residue protein, here named ERp29, with structural features (signal peptide and a variant endoplasmic reticulum-retention motif, KEEL) that indicate it is a reticuloplasmin. ERp29 has limited homology with protein disulfide isomerase and its cognates, but lacks their characteristic thioredoxin-like catalytic moiety and calcium-binding motifs. ERp29 mRNA was expressed in all rat tissues tested, and a homologous transcript was detected in other animal livers (primate, ruminant, marsupial). In human hepatoma cells, ERp29 mRNA expression was not increased by ..