title: RZF, a zinc-finger protein in the photoreceptors of human retina.
abstract: Photoreceptors are organized at the outer aspect of retina and host the process of phototransduction, central to the visual system. We have isolated a novel human gene, RZF, which is predominantly expressed in the photoreceptors of human retina. RZF encodes a 40-kDa protein that has three widely spaced C(2)H(2)-type zinc finger motifs. There are three potential nuclear localisation signals and clusters of charged amino acids in the protein. Expression analysis revealed that orthologues of the RZF gene are also expressed in photoreceptors of mouse and bovine retina. The RZF-GFP fusion protein localises to nucleoli and cytoplasm when expressed in HEK-293 cells. Mobility shift assay suggests that RZF may not be a nucleic acid binding protein, unlike most other zinc-finger proteins. Taken together, these observations suggest that RZF is a shuttling regulatory protein expressed in photoreceptors of the human retina that may be involved in mRNA or protein regulation of photoreceptor-specific genes and therefore have role in retinal disease mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia. shiwani.sharma@flinders.edu.au
authors.forename: Shiwani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dimasi
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higginson
authors.forename: Neil G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Della
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C494418:ZNF385A protein, human; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins