Background of the antigen
The GGA family of proteins (Golgi-localized, g-Adaptin ear-containing, ARF-binding proteins) are ubiquitous coat proteins that facilitate the trafficking of soluble proteins from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to endosomes/lysosomes by means of interactions with TGN-sorting receptors, ARF (ADP-ribosylation factor), and clathrin. Members of the GGA family, GGA1,GGA2 (also known as VEAR) and GGA3, are multi-domain proteins that bind mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs). GGAs have modular structures with an N-terminal VHS (VPS27, Hrs and STAM) domain followed by a GAT (GGA and Tom1) domain, a connecting hinge segment and a C-terminal GAE (g-Adaptin ear) domain. The amino-terminal VHS domains of GGAs form complexes with the cytoplasmic domains of sorting receptors by recognizing acidic-cluster di-leucine (ACLL) sequences. The human GGA3 gene maps to chromosome 17 and encodes a 723 amino acid protein that shares 46% sequence identity with GGA1 and 38% with GGA2.