AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO THE IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF HUMAN SNARE GS27

SNAREs participate in various transport events, in both the secretory and endocytotic pathways. Here we report the identification and characterisation of a new human SNARE, GS27. GS27 has two mRNA transcript isoforms as a result of alternative RNA splicing. GS27a has 6 exons and encodes a predicted protein of 212 amino acids, whereas GS27b has 7 exons and encodes a predicted protein of 213 amino acids. The gene spans 16 kb of genomic DNA and locates on the human chromosomal position 17q21. The antibodies raised against the cytoplasmic domain of GS27a protein showed specific staining in the Golgi apparatus. It could also inhibit transport in vitro from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the trans-Golgi, suggesting a function in the ER-to-Golgi transport. It may be a coincidence but one of the loci implicated in human familial essential hypertension is lying near the GS27 gene locus making it a potential candidate for this disease.