Identification and characterization of a gene encoding a putative mouse Rho GTPase activating protein gene 8, Arhgap8

Rho GTPase activating proteins promote the intrinsic GTP hydrolysis activity of Rho family proteins. We isolated a putative mouse ortholog of the human Rho GTPase activating protein 8, ARHGAP8. The open reading frame encodes a peptide of 387 amino acids with high homology to human ARHGAP8 in its N-terminal domain. Both radiation hybrid mapping and fluorescent in situ hybridization localized the gene to mouse chromosome 15E. The 23 kb genomic Arhgap8 sequence consists of eight exons and seven introns. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that a transcript of approximately 1.9 kb is ubiquitously expressed in various adult mouse tissues with particularly strong expression in kidney.