Alternative titles; symbols
HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: RBP2
Cytogenetic location: 3q23 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 3:139,452,884-139,476,516 (from NCBI)
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin necessary for growth, reproduction, differentiation of epithelial tissues, and vision. Mammals depend on intestinal absorption of this vitamin for their survival. Cellular retinol-binding protein-2 (CRBP2), an abundant 134-residue protein confined largely to the small intestinal enterocyte, is thought to play an important role in the intestinal absorption and/or metabolism of vitamin A (summary by Demmer et al., 1987).
Demmer et al. (1987) isolated and sequenced the rat Crbp2 gene. They stated that Crbp2 belongs to a protein family that includes fatty acid-binding proteins (see, e.g., 134650).
Demmer et al. (1987) determined that the rat Crbp2 gene contains 4 exons spanning 0.65 kb; the entire gene spans 19.5 kb. Southern blot hybridization analysis indicated that the gene is highly conserved in rats, mice, and humans.
Using mouse-human somatic cell hybrids, Demmer et al. (1987) mapped CRBP2 and the homologous CRBP gene (180260) to chromosome 3. They noted that the gene encoding rhodopsin (180380), a retinol-binding protein, is also located on chromosome 3.
Using recombinant inbred strains and restriction fragment length polymorphisms, Demmer et al. (1987) mapped the mouse Crbp2 gene on chromosome 9 within 5.3 cM of the phosphoglucomutase-3 locus and closely linked (within 3.0 cM) to Crbp.
Demmer, L. A., Birkenmeier, E. H., Sweetser, D. A., Levin, M. S., Zollman, S., Sparkes, R. S., Mohandas, T., Lusis, A. J., Gordon, J. I. The cellular retinol binding protein II gene: sequence analysis of the rat gene, chromosomal localization in mice and humans, and documentation of its close linkage to the cellular retinol binding protein gene. J. Biol. Chem. 262: 2458-2467, 1987. [PubMed: 3029082]