GTPase, IMAP Family, Member 7 (GIMAP7)

GIMAP7 encodes a protein belonging to the GTP-binding superfamily and to the immuno-associated nucleotide (IAN) subfamily of nucleotide-binding proteins. There is a growing family of novel GTPases conserved among higher plants and vertebrates, abbreviated as AIG1, IAP, IMAP, and IAN, respectively. The six genes hgimap1, hgimap2, hgimap4, hgimap5, hgimap6, and hgimap7 encode 33-46 kDa proteins with one GTP-binding domain, whereas hgimap8 encodes a very unusual 75-kDa protein with three GTP-binding domains. Major expression sites of hgimap mRNAs are the spleen and lymph nodes, but also other organs such as muscle, heart, placenta, and digestive tract display detectable hgimap mRNA levels. The proteins hGIMAP4 and hGIMAP7 can be localized at ER and Golgi apparatus, but not in mitochondria, lysosomes and nuclei.