Molecular cloning, genomic organization, chromosomal mapping and subcellular localization of mouse PAP7: a PBR and PKA-RIalpha associated protein.

A mouse protein that interacts with the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit RIalpha (PKA-RIalpha), named PBR and PKA associated protein 7 (PAP7) was identified and shown to be involved in hormone-induced steroid biosynthesis in testicular Leydig cells. In the present study, mouse PAP7 cDNA was extended by 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends; and a 3432 bp sequence, encoding a 525-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular weight of 60 kDa, was re-assembled. Mouse and human PAP7 share an 85% amino acid identity and contain a conserved acyl-CoA-binding protein/diazepam binding inhibitor (ACBP/DBI) motif. ACBP/DBI has been identified as the endogenous PBR ligand able to stimulate mitochondrial steroid formation in all steroidogenic cells. The full-length mouse PAP7 gene was cloned and assembled by screening a BAC clone, polymerase chain reaction and searching the mouse genome database. The gene is approximately 29 kb in length and includes eight exons and seven introns. Although it is shorter than the human PAP7 gene, all exons are conserved between the mouse and human. The mouse PAP7 gene was mapped to chromosome 1H3-5 by fluorescence in situ hybridization in agreement with in silico search of the mouse genome database that mapped the PAP7 cDNA sequence to the 1H4 area. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated that PAP7 is mainly localized in the trans-Golgi apparatus and mitochondria in mouse tumor Leydig cells, in agreement with its proposed function in targeting the PKA isoenzyme to organelles rich in PBR, i.e. mitochondria, where phosphorylation of specific protein substrates mediates the hormone-induced steroid formation.