Background of the antigen
HAP1 (huntingtin-associated protein 1) binds to huntingtin (1). Huntingtin is a protein that contains a polyglutamine region and when the number of glutamine repeats exceeds 35, the gene encodes a version of huntingtin that leads to Huntington’s disease (HD) (2,3). The ability of HAP1 to bind to huntingtin is enhanced by an expanded polyglutamine repeat region (1). HAP1 shows neuronal localization and moves with huntingtin in nerve fibers (4,5). HAP1 is primarily expressed in brain tissue, with greater expression in the olfactory bulb and brain stem (1). Mouse HAP1 is localized to membrane-bound organelles including large endosomes, tubulovesicular structures and budding vesicles in neurons (6). Duo, also designated huntingtin-associated protein interacting protein or HAPIP, binds Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) and may have a role in vesicle trafficking and cytoskeletal function.
