RHCG explained

Rh family, C glycoprotein, also known as RHCG, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RHCG gene.^{[1] [2]}

Function

RHCG plays a critical role in ammonium handling and pH homeostasis in the kidney.^[3] The structure of the RHCG protein^[4] indicates that it has a hydrophobic ammonia-conducting channel and shows that it shares a common fold with the ammonia transporters, thus making it an ammonia transporter.

Further reading

• Bakouh N, Benjelloun F, Cherif-Zahar B, Planelles G . The challenge of understanding ammonium homeostasis and the role of the Rh glycoproteins. . Transfusion Clinique et Biologique . 13 . 1–2 . 139–46 . 2006 . 16564724 . 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.02.008 .
• Zidi-Yahiaoui N, Ripoche P, Le Van Kim C, etal . Ammonium transport properties of HEK293 cells expressing RhCG mutants: preliminary analysis of structure/function by site-directed mutagenesis. . Transfusion Clinique et Biologique . 13 . 1–2 . 128–31 . 2006 . 16580862 . 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.02.025 .
• Ridgwell K, Spurr NK, Laguda B, etal . Isolation of cDNA clones for a 50 kDa glycoprotein of the human erythrocyte membrane associated with Rh (rhesus) blood-group antigen expression. . Biochem. J. . 287 . 1. 223–8 . 1992 . 10.1042/bj2870223 . 1417776 . 1133147 .
• Liu Z, Chen Y, Mo R, etal . Characterization of human RhCG and mouse Rhcg as novel nonerythroid Rh glycoprotein homologues predominantly expressed in kidney and testis. . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 33 . 25641–51 . 2000 . 10852913 . 10.1074/jbc.M003353200 . free .
• Marini AM, Matassi G, Raynal V, etal . The human Rhesus-associated RhAG protein and a kidney homologue promote ammonium transport in yeast. . Nat. Genet. . 26 . 3 . 341–4 . 2000 . 11062476 . 10.1038/81656 . 21313219 .
• Chen BS, Xu ZX, Xu X, etal . RhCG is downregulated in oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas, but expressed in multiple squamous epithelia. . Eur. J. Cancer . 38 . 14 . 1927–36 . 2002 . 12204676 . 10.1016/S0959-8049(02)00190-9 .
• Verlander JW, Miller RT, Frank AE, etal . Localization of the ammonium transporter proteins RhBG and RhCG in mouse kidney. . Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. . 284 . 2 . F323–37 . 2003 . 12388412 . 10.1152/ajprenal.00050.2002 .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH, etal . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . free .
• Nicolas V, Le Van Kim C, Gane P, etal . Rh-RhAG/ankyrin-R, a new interaction site between the membrane bilayer and the red cell skeleton, is impaired by Rh(null)-associated mutation. . J. Biol. Chem. . 278 . 28 . 25526–33 . 2003 . 12719424 . 10.1074/jbc.M302816200 . free .
• Hemker MB, Cheroutre G, van Zwieten R, etal . The Rh complex exports ammonium from human red blood cells. . Br. J. Haematol. . 122 . 2 . 333–40 . 2003 . 12846905 . 10.1046/j.1365-2141.2003.04425.x . 3094213 . free .
• Bakouh N, Benjelloun F, Hulin P, etal . NH₃ is involved in the NH₄⁺ transport induced by the functional expression of the human Rh C glycoprotein. . J. Biol. Chem. . 279 . 16 . 15975–83 . 2004 . 14761968 . 10.1074/jbc.M308528200 . free .
• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA, etal . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC). . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 .
• Zidi-Yahiaoui N, Mouro-Chanteloup I, D'Ambrosio AM, etal . Human Rhesus B and Rhesus C glycoproteins: properties of facilitated ammonium transport in recombinant kidney cells. . Biochem. J. . 391 . Pt 1 . 33–40 . 2006 . 15929723 . 10.1042/BJ20050657 . 1237136 .
• Huang CH, Peng J . Evolutionary conservation and diversification of Rh family genes and proteins. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 102 . 43 . 15512–7 . 2005 . 16227429 . 10.1073/pnas.0507886102 . 1266151 . 2005PNAS..10215512H . free .
• Marini AM, Boeckstaens M, Benjelloun F, etal . Structural involvement in substrate recognition of an essential aspartate residue conserved in Mep/Amt and Rh-type ammonium transporters. . Curr. Genet. . 49 . 6 . 364–74 . 2006 . 16477434 . 10.1007/s00294-006-0062-5 . 28636156 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Entrez Gene: RHCG Rh family, C glycoprotein.
2. Liu Z, Chen Y, Mo R, Hui C, Cheng JF, Mohandas N, Huang CH . Characterization of human RhCG and mouse Rhcg as novel nonerythroid Rh glycoprotein homologues predominantly expressed in kidney and testis . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 33 . 25641–51 . August 2000 . 10852913 . 10.1074/jbc.M003353200 . free .
3. Biver S, Belge H, Bourgeois S, Van Vooren P, Nowik M, Scohy S, Houillier P, Szpirer J, Szpirer C, Wagner CA, Devuyst O, Marini AM . A role for Rhesus factor Rhcg in renal ammonium excretion and male fertility . Nature . 456 . 7220 . 339–43 . November 2008 . 19020613 . 10.1038/nature07518 . 2008Natur.456..339B . 205215412 .

4. Gruswitz F, Chaudhary S, Ho JD, Schlessinger A, Pezeshki B, Ho CM, Sali A, Westhoff CM, Stroud RM . Function of human Rh based on structure of RhCG at 2.1 A . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 107 . 21 . 9638–43 . May 2010 . 20457942 . 2906887 . 10.1073/pnas.1003587107 . free . 2010PNAS..107.9638G .