Complete amino acid sequence and homologies of human erythrocyte membrane protein band 4.2.

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Abstract
The complete amino acid sequence for human erythrocyte band 4.2 has been derived from the nucleotide sequence of a full-length 2.35-kilobase (kb) cDNA. The 2.35-kb cDNA was isolated from a humamn reticulocyte cDNA library made in the expression, vector .lambda.gt11. Of the 2348 base pairs (bp), 2073 bp encode 691 amino acids representing 76.9 kDa (the SDS/PAGE molecular mass is 72 kDa). RNA blot analysis of human reticulocyte total RNA gives a message size for band 4.2 and 2.4 kb. The amino acid sequence of band 4.2 has homology with two closely related Ca2+-dependent cross-linking proteins, guinea pig liver transglutaminase (protein-glutamine .gamma.-glutamyltransferase; protein-glutamine:amine .gamma.-glutamyltransferase, EC 2.3.2.13) (32% identity in a 446-amino acid overlap) and the a subunit of human coagulation factor XIII (27% identity in a 639-amino acid overlap), a transglutaminase that forms intermolecular .gamma.-glutamyl-.epsilon.-lysine bonds between fibrin molecules. The region of greatest identity includes a 49-amino acid stretch of band 4.2, which is 69% and 51% identical with guinea pig liver transglutaminase and the a subunit of factor XIII, respectively, within the regions that contain the active sites of these enzymes. significantly, within the five contiguous consensus residues of the transglutaminase active site, Gly-Gln-Cys-Trp-Val, band 4.2 has an alanine substituted for cysteine (which is apparently essential for activity). Consistent with this active site substitution, erythrocyte membranes or inside-out resicles, which contain band 4.2, showed no evidence of transglutaminase activity by two types of in vitro assay.