RAB2A, Member RAS Oncogene Family (RAB2A)

Members of the Rab protein family are nontransforming monomeric GTP-binding proteins of the Ras superfamily that contain 4 highly conserved regions involved in GTP binding and hydrolysis. Rabs are prenylated, membrane-bound proteins involved in vesicular fusion and trafficking. The mammalian RAB proteins show striking similarities to the S. cerevisiae YPT1 and SEC4 proteins, Ras-related GTP-binding proteins involved in the regulation of secretion.

Zahraoui et al. (1989) isolated cDNAs encoding RAB2 and several other human RAB proteins. The predicted 212-amino acid human RAB2 protein shares 98% identity with rat Rab2. Northern blot analysis revealed that the RAB2 gene was expressed as 1.1-, 2.5-, and 3.6-kb mRNAs in a human fibroblast cell line.