Anti-Huntingtin antibody [1A771] (ab13583)

Function

May play a role in microtubule-mediated transport or vesicle function.

Tissue specificity

Expressed in the brain cortex (at protein level). Widely expressed with the highest level of expression in the brain (nerve fibers, varicosities, and nerve endings). In the brain, the regions where it can be mainly found are the cerebellar cortex, the neocortex, the striatum, and the hippocampal formation.

Involvement in disease

Defects in HTT are the cause of Huntington disease (HD) [MIM:143100]. HD is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by involuntary movements (chorea), general motor impairment, psychiatric disorders and dementia. Onset of the disease occurs usually in the third or fourth decade of life and symptoms progressively worsen leading to death in 10 to 20 years. Onset and clinical course depend on the degree of poly-Gln repeat expansion, longer expansions resulting in earlier onset and more severe clinical manifestations. HD affects 1 in 10,000 individuals of European origin. Neuropathology of Huntington disease displays a distinctive pattern with loss of neurons, especially in the caudate and putamen (striatum).

Sequence similarities

Belongs to the huntingtin family.
Contains 10 HEAT repeats.

Domain

The N-terminal Gln-rich and Pro-rich domain has great conformational flexibility and is likely to exist in a fluctuating equilibrium of alpha-helical, random coil, and extended conformations.

Post-translational
modifications

Cleaved by apopain downstream of the polyglutamine stretch. The resulting N-terminal fragment is cytotoxic and provokes apoptosis.
Forms with expanded polyglutamine expansion are specifically ubiquitinated by SYVN1, which promotes their proteasomal degradation.

Cellular localization

Cytoplasm. Nucleus. The mutant Huntingtin protein colocalizes with AKAP8L in the nuclear matrix of Huntington's disease neurons.

Alternative names

Database links