Biology:STARD7

From HandWiki
Short description: Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens


A representation of the 3D structure of the protein myoglobin showing turquoise α-helices.
Generic protein structure example


StAR-related lipid transfer domain protein 7 (STARD7) or gestational trophoblastic tumor gene-1 (GTT1) is a lipid transporter that specifically binds and transports phosphatidylcholine between membranes.[1]

Function and tissue distribution

StarD7 is found in the cytosol and associated with the mitochondrion.[1] When overproduced in the cell, mitochondrial levels of phosphatidylcholine rise.[1] High levels of the protein are found in tumor cells compared to normal cells, suggesting a role in cell proliferation.[2]

Structure

There are two forms of StarD7: StarD7-I and StarD7-II. The former is 295 amino acids long. StarD7-I possesses an additional 75 amino acids at its amino-terminus, which form a signaling sequence that targets it to the outer membrane of the mitochondrion.[1]

StarD7 contains a StAR-related transfer domain (START), from which it derives its name. Moreover, the protein is a member of the predominantly phosphatidylcholine transporter subfamily of START proteins, the StarD2 subfamily. It shares 25% sequence identity with StarD2.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "StarD7 mediates the intracellular trafficking of phosphatidylcholine to mitochondria". The Journal of Biological Chemistry 285 (10): 7358–65. March 2010. doi:10.1074/jbc.M109.056960. PMID 20042613. 
  2. "GTT1/StarD7, a novel phosphatidylcholine transfer protein-like highly expressed in gestational trophoblastic tumour: cloning and characterization". Placenta 25 (1): 37–44. January 2004. doi:10.1016/S0143-4004(03)00214-5. PMID 15013637.