MIR16, a putative membrane glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase, interacts with RGS16.

We have identified the protein MIR16 (for Membrane Interacting protein of RGS16) from a yeast two-hybrid screen by using RGS16 as bait. MIR16 shares strong homology with bacterial glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases. It interacts with RGS16 and, more weakly, with several other selected RGS proteins. Analysis of deletion mutants showed that the N-terminal region of the RGS domain in RGS16 is required for its interaction with MIR16. MIR16 is an integral membrane glycoprotein, because it remained associated with membrane fractions after alkaline treatment and because, in some cells, it is sensitive to digestion with endoglycosidase H. By immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, MIR16 was localized on the plasma membrane in liver and kidney and on intracellular membranes in rat pituitary and cultured pituitary cells. MIR16 represents the only integral membrane protein identified thus far to interact with an RGS domain and, to our knowledge, is the only mammalian glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase that has been cloned. The putative enzymatic activity of MIR16 and its interaction with RGS16 suggest that it may play important roles in lipid metabolism and in G protein signaling.