Transmembrane Protein 189 (TMEM189)

KUA contains an N-terminal KUA domain and a C-terminal UEV1 domain. Like KUA, epitope-tagged KUA/UEV1 was expressed in the cytoplasm of transfected COS-7 cells and appeared to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast, epitope-tagged UEV1 was expressed in COS-7 cell nuclei.

The deduced 270-amino acid protein contains 2 transmembrane domains and 2 histidine-rich motifs characteristic of fatty acid hydrolases. RT-PCR detected KUA in all human cell lines examined. Epitope-tagged KUA was expressed in the cytoplasm of transfected COS-7 cells, and it appeared to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. Phylogenetic analysis identified KUA homologs in all species examined except yeast.