Background of the antigen
The GTPase of the immunity-associated protein (GIMAP) family of proteins include seven members that are expressed by genes residing on human chromosome 7. GIMAP proteins have been implicated in the regulation of lymphomyeloid cell survival. GIMAP8, also known as IAN9 (immune-associated nucleotide-binding protein 9) or IANT, is a 665 amino acid protein that localizes to Golgi apparatus, Endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Suggested to have an anti-apoptotic effect on the immune system, GIMAP8 plays a role in infection response and is encoded by a gene that maps to human chromosome 7q36.1. Chromosome 7 houses over 1,000 genes, comprises nearly 5% of the human genome and has been linked to Osteogenesis imperfecta, Pendred syndrome, Lissencephaly, Citrullinemia and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.
