Non Metastatic Cells 4, Protein NM23A Expressed In (NME4)

The full-length cDNA sequence predicts a 187-amino acid protein possessing the region homologous to NDP kinases with all residues crucial for nucleotide binding and catalysis, strongly suggesting that the new gene possesses NDP kinase activity. It shares 56, 55, and 60% identity with NME1, NME2, and NME3, respectively.

Compared with these other proteins, NME4 contains an additional N-terminal region that is rich in positively charged residues and could indicate routing to mitochondria. The corresponding 1.2-kb mRNA was widely distributed and expressed in tissue-dependent manner, being found at very high levels in prostate, heart, liver, small intestine, and skeletal muscle tissues, and in low amounts in the brain and in blood leukocytes.