Kelch Like Protein 2 (KLHL2)

KLHL2 encodes a deduced 593-amino acid protein that shares 63% sequence identity with the Drosophila kelch protein. KLHL2 contains an SH3-binding domain in the N terminus and a POZ (poxvirus, zinc finger) domain and 6 tandem repeats (kelch repeats) of approximately 50 amino acids each in the C terminus. Northern blot analysis detected expression of a 3.4-kb mRNA at different levels in most human adult and fetal tissues examined, but the highest levels of expression were found in adult and fetal brain. In the adult brain, the highest levels were detected in the amygdala, caudate nucleus, corpus callosum, and hippocampus. Expression was also found at varying levels in transformed neuronal, glioblastoma, and astrocytoma cell lines and in several cell lines of hematopoietic lineage.