OTU Domain Containing Protein 4 (OTUD4)

The deduced 145-amino acid protein shares 32.5% identity with Drosophila Otu. HIN1 may have been truncated at its 5-prime end by HIV-1 insertion. Expression of HIN1 was only detected in HIV-1-infected cells, suggesting that expression was due to insertional activation from the 3-prime long terminal repeat of HIV-1.

By sequencing clones obtained from a size-fractionated adult brain cDNA library, Kikuno et al. (1999) cloned OTUD4, which they designated KIAA1046. The deduced protein contains 401 amino acids. RT-PCR ELISA detected highest expression in lung, with high levels also detected in testis, ovary, kidney, skeletal muscle, liver, heart, brain, fetal liver, and all specific adult brain regions examined. Expression was moderate in fetal brain and in adult pancreas and spleen.