Human GASP-2/WFIKKN Antibody

Growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein-2 (GASP-2) cDNA encodes a 548 amino acid protein that contains a 19 amino acid signal sequence and is comprised of many conserved domains: WAP, follistatin/Kazal, immunoglobulin, two tandem Kunitz, and netrin (1). Based on the order of these conserved domains, GASP-2 is also known as WFIKKN (1). Another related protein which contains the same domain structure is called WFIKKNRP (WFIKKN-related protein), or GASP-1 (2, 3). WAP, follistatin, Kunitz and netrin domains are all implicated in protease inhibition, and the GASP proteins may be multivalent protease inhibitors (1, 4). GASP-1 and -2 show distinct expression patterns both in the developing fetus and the adult. In the developing fetus, GASP-2 is abundant in the lung, skeletal muscle and liver while GASP-1 expression is highest in the brain, skeletal muscle, thymus and kidney (3). In the adult, GASP-2 is expressed primarily in the pancreas, liver, and thymus while GASP-1 is in the ovary, testis, and brain (3). Further characterization shows that GASP-1 inhibits myostatin (GDF-8) and the highly related protein, GDF-11, but not Activin or TGF-beta in vitro (2). By amino acid sequence, human GASP-2 shares 88% and 69% identity with canine/rat/mouse and chicken GASP-2, respectively, and 55% identity with human GASP-1.