Germinal Center Expressed Transcript 2 (GCET2)

GCET2 encodes a protein which may function in signal transduction pathways and whose expression is elevated in germinal cell lymphomas. It contains a putative PDZ-interacting domain, an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM), and two putative SH2 binding sites. In B cells, its expression is specifically induced by interleukin-4. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.

Both the human and mouse proteins contain an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM). Northern blot analysis detected a 1.7-kb major transcript and a 3.5-kb transcript. RT-PCR analysis revealed the highest HGAL expression in GC lymphocytes, followed by thymus and spleen. The protein is also highly expressed in GC-derived lymphomas.