Non Metastatic Cells 5, Protein NM23A Expressed In (NME5)

The nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) kinases are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze transfer of gamma-phosphates, via a phosphohistidine intermediate, between nucleoside and dioxynucleoside tri- and diphosphates. The enzymes are products of the NM23 gene family. Munier et al. (1998) identified a novel homolog of NM23 in the EST database. They used PCR to clone the full coding sequence from several human cDNA libraries.

The NME5 gene encodes a 212-amino acid polypeptide with homology to the NDP kinases. Northern blot analysis detected abundant expression of a 1.1-kb mRNA in testis. In situ hybridization to testis revealed NME5 mRNA in the seminiferous tubules in a pattern consistent with stage-specific expression in germinal cells during spermatogenesis.