Vacuolar Protein Sorting 33A (VPS33A)

Vesicle mediated protein sorting plays an important role in segregation of intracellular molecules into distinct organelles. Genetic studies in yeast have identified more than 40 vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) genes involved in vesicle transport to vacuoles. This gene is a member of the Sec-1 domain family, and it encodes a protein similar to the yeast class C Vps33 protein. The mammalian class C VPS proteins are predominantly associated with late endosomes/lysosomes, and like their yeast counterparts, may mediate vesicle trafficking steps in the endosome/lysosome pathway.

Pevsner et al. (1996) obtained a partial cDNA of human VPS33A. They cloned full-length rat Vps33a, which encodes a deduced 597-amino acid protein. Northern blot analysis detected several Vps33a transcripts in all rat tissues examined.