Primary structure of the human, membrane-associated Ca2+-binding protein p68 a novel member of a protein family.

cDNA clones encoding human 'p68', a membrane-associated Ca2+-binding protein, were isolated from a lambda gt11 expression library of the human T-leukaemia cell line J6, by using a rabbit antiserum against denatured purified lymphocyte p68, and from a liver cDNA library by using 32P-labelled p68 cDNA fragments. The amino acid sequence of p68, deduced from the sequences of overlapping cDNA clones, is described. The results show that p68 is closely related to a family of proteins which includes intracellular substrates of the EGF receptor and pp60src tyrosine kinases. The p68 amino acid sequence is internally repetitive, being constructed from eight repeats of varying lengths, each of which contains a highly conserved sequence. Multiple copies of the latter sequence are also present in the related proteins p36, lipocortin I and protein II. We discuss how the common structural features of these proteins may reflect common functions and, furthermore, how the eight repeat structure of p68 may have evolved. The sequences of independent cDNAs suggest that alternatively-spliced mRNAs could encode different p68 protein species. This suggestion is consistent with the observation that purified p68 migrates as a closely-spaced doublet when analysed by SDS-PAGE.