Adherens Junctions Associated Protein 1 (AJAP1)

SHREW1 interacted with CD147 (BSG), a mediator of invasiveness and matrix metalloprotease activity, in epithelial cells. The predicted 411-amino acid protein is highly alkaline and has a calculated molecular mass of 43 kD. It contains an N-terminal signal peptide, a transmembrane domain, and potential sites for phosphorylation, glycosylation, and myristoylation. Database analysis suggested that SHREW1 may be restricted to vertebrates.

Northern blot analysis of invasive endometriotic cells detected a 4-kb SHREW1 transcript. Immunoblot analysis of human pancreas and uterus revealed an endogenous 48-kD SHREW1 protein. Epitope-tagged SHREW1 localized to the basolateral membrane of polarized epithelial cells and colocalized with E-cadherin (CDH1), a marker of adherens junctions.