Endoplasmic Reticulum Protein 44 (ERP44)

The transcript contains a repetitive element in the 3-prime UTR, and the deduced 451-amino acid protein has an apparent molecular mass of 50 kD, as estimated by SDS-PAGE. KIAA0573 shares weak homology with barley protein disulfide isomerase precursor. RT-PCR detected robust expression in all tissues examined.

ERp44, deduced 436-amino acid protein has an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) targeting signal sequence. After cleavage, the calculated molecular mass of ERp44 is 43.9 kD. ERp44 also contains a thioredoxin-like domain, which includes a CRFS motif; a calsequestrin -like domain; and a C-terminal ER retention signal (RDEL). The CRFS motif is present in mouse, fly, and nematode ERp44 homologs.