Polycystic Kidney Disease And REJ Homolog (PKDREJ)

This intronless gene encodes a member of the polycystin protein family. The encoded protein contains 11 transmembrane domains, a receptor for egg jelly (REJ) domain, a G-protein-coupled receptor proteolytic site (GPS) domain, and a polycystin-1, lipoxygenase, alpha-toxin (PLAT) domain. This protein may play a role in human reproduction. Alternative splice variants have been described but their biological natures have not been determined. The PKDREJ protein is 64% identical and 78% similar to the mouse Pkdrej protein. Hydrophobicity analysis indicated that the structure of PKDREJ, with 11 transmembrane regions, is similar to that of PKD1. Northern blot analysis showed expression of an approximately 8-kb PKDREJ transcript exclusively in testis, coincident with the timing of sperm maturation.