Identification of a novel member of the Rab8 family from the rat basophilic leukaemia cell line, RBL.2H3.

We describe the cloning of a cDNA from the rat basophilic leukaemia cell line (RBL.2H3) encoding a novel member of the Rab family of small GTP binding proteins. The novel clone, which we call Rab8b, is most highly related to the Rab8 family with substantial divergence in the variable C-terminal domain. Northern blot analysis reveals highest levels of expression of Rab8b in the spleen, testis and brain, which is in marked contrast to the tissue distribution of Rab8. The Rab8b cDNA was modified to introduce a c-myc epitope tag at the extreme N terminus of the protein, and transient transfection studies were performed to analyse the intracellular localization of Rab8b by confocal microscopy. Transient expression of the c-myc/Rab8b fusion protein in both PC12 and RBL.2H3 cells shows staining of both the plasma membrane and ill-defined vesicular structures, and in the case of RBL.2H3 cells appears to induce striking outgrowths of the plasma membrane.