Isolation of two novel human RhoGEFs, ARHGEF3 and ARHGEF4, in 3p13-21 and 2q22.

RhoGEFs play an important role in various signaling cascades and are implicated in human conditions like cancer and mental retardation. A database search combined with screening of a human neuronal teratocarcinoma library identified two novel RhoGEFs, ARHGEF3 and ARHGEF4 (HGMW-approved symbols). The widely expressed ARHGEF3 transcript of 3561 nucleotides encodes a polypeptide of 526 amino acids with homology to NET1. The ARHGEF4 gene generates two transcripts of 3665 and 4000 nucleotides that translate into 720 amino acid residues. Expression of ARHGEF4 is restricted to brain and the encoded protein shows homology to collybistin. FISH analysis of genomic clones mapped ARHGEF3 to 3p13-21 and ARHGEF4 to 2q22.