A human HAP1 homologue. Cloning, expression, and interaction with huntingtin.

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by the expansion of a glutamine repeat in the protein huntingtin. The expanded glutamine repeat is thought to mediate a gain of function by causing huntingtin to abnormally interact with other proteins. We previously identified a rat huntingtin-associated protein (HAP1) that binds to huntingtin; HAP1 binds more tightly to huntingtin with an expanded glutamine repeat than to wild type huntingtin. Identification of the human homologue of HAP1 is necessary for investigation of the potential role of HAP1 in HD pathology. Here, we report the cloning of a human HAP1 homologue (hHAP) that shares 62% identity with rat HAP1 over its entire sequence and 82% amino acid identity in the putative huntingtin-binding region. The hHAP gene encodes a 4.1-kilobase transcript and a 75-kDa protein which are specifically expressed in human brain tissues. Its expression in Huntington's disease brains is reduced in parallel with a decreased expression of huntingtin. While two isoforms of rat HAP1 are expressed at similar levels in rat brain, only a single major form of hHAP is found in primate brains. In vitro binding, immunoprecipitation, and coexpression studies confirm the interaction of hHAP with huntingtin. The in vitro binding of hHAP to huntingtin is enhanced by lengthening the glutamine repeat. Despite similar binding properties of rat HAP1 and hHAP, differences in the sequences and expression of hHAP may contribute to a specific role for its interaction with huntingtin in humans.