Chondroitin Polymerizing Factor (CHPF)

By database searching with the sequence of CHSY1 as probe, Kitagawa et al. (2003) isolated CHPF. The deduced 775-amino acid protein has a predicted molecular mass of approximately 85 kD and contains 3 potential N-glycosylation sites.

CHPF has a prominent N-terminal hydrophobic segment and is predicted to be a type II transmembrane protein. CHPF shares 57% and 23% sequence identity with chondroitin sulfate glucuronyltransferase (CSGlcAT) and CHSY1, respectively. Northern blot analysis detected a 3.4-kb CHPF transcript in all tissues examined except peripheral blood leukocytes; CHPF expression was detected at high levels in placenta and heart and at moderate levels in brain, skeletal muscle, kidney, and liver.