Description
Following is a sample of the information contained on this CD: FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of a new human Rab-specific guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor and to the use of these sequences in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of inflammation and disorders associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Vesicle trafficking involves transport between subcellular compartments of eukaryotic cells. During this process, vesicles bud from a donor membrane and fuse with a recipient to deliver internalized materials. Vesicular transport is regulated by a class of proteins, named Rab proteins. Rab proteins are low molecular weight (LMW) guanidine triphosphatases (GTPases) and belong to the Ras superfamily. These proteins assist the binding of transport vesicles to their accepter organelles and initiate the vesicle fusion process using the energy from the hydrolysis of GTP. Rab proteins have a highly variable amino terminus containing membrane-specific signal information and a prenylated carboxy terminus which determines the target membrane to which the Rab proteins anchor. More than 30 Rab proteins have been identified in a variety of species, and each has a characteristic intracellular location and distinct transport function. In particular, Rab1 and Rab2 are important in ER-to-Golgi transport; Rab3 transports secretory vesicles to the extracellular membrane; Rab5 is localized to endosomes and regulates the fusion of early endosomes into late endosomes; Rab6 is specific to the Golgi apparatus and regulates intra-Golgi transport events; Rab7 and Rab9 stimulate the fusion of late endosomes and Golgi vesicles with lysosomes, respectively; and Rab10mediates vesicle fusion from the medial Golgi to the trans Golgi. The function of Rab proteins in vescular transport requires the cooperation of many other proteins. Specifically, the membrane-targeting
