Scientific background: |
TRAM2 (Translocation-Associating Membrane Protein 2), also called KIAA0057, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TRAM2 gene. TRAM2 is a component of the translocon, a gated macromolecular channel that controls the posttranslational processing of nascent secretory and membrane proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. By genomic sequence analysis, Onuchic et al. (1999) mapped the TRAM2 gene to chromosome 6p21.1-p12 near the PKHD1 gene. Upon activation, quiescent hepatic stellate cells proliferate, change morphologically into myofibroblasts, and increase their synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. Stefanovic et al. (2004) demonstrated that both TRAM2 and collagen type I are upregulated in activated rat and human hepatic stellate cells. |
References: |
1. Nomura, N., Nagase, T., Miyajima, N., Sazuka, T., Tanaka, A., Sato, S., Seki, N., Kawarabayasi, Y., Ishikawa, K., Tabata, S. Prediction of the coding sequences of unidentified human genes. II. The coding sequences of 40 new genes (KIAA0041-KIAA0080) deduced by analysis of cDNA clones from human cell line KG-1. DNA Res. 1: 223-229, 1994.
2. Onuchic, L. F., Mrug, M., Lakings, A. L., Muecher, G., Becker, J., Zerres, K., Avner, E. D., Dixit, M., Somlo, S., Germino, G. G., Guay-Woodford, L. M. Genomic organization of the KIAA0057 gene that encodes a TRAM-like protein and its exclusion as a polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1) candidate gene. Mammalian Genome 10: 1175-1178, 1999.
3. Stefanovic, B., Stefanovic, L., Schnabl, B., Bataller, R., Brenner, D. A. TRAM2 protein interacts with endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump Serca2b and is necessary for collagen type I synthesis. Molec. Cell. Biol. 24: 1758-1768, 2004.
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