RS cyclophilins: identification of an NK-TR1-related cyclophilin

We report the isolation of a large cyclophilin protein containing RS (arginine-serine) repeats from a yeast two-hybrid screen using ClK (CDC28/cdc2-like kinase) as a probe. This Clk associating RS-cyclophilin (CARS-Cyp) possesses 39% homology to the NK-TR1 (natural killer tumor recognition protein-1) we have previously characterized (Anderson et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90 (1993) 542-546). CARS-Cyp is expressed in a variety of tissues and cell types, and codes for a protein with a predicted mass of 89 kDa containing a cyclophilin-related domain, two Nopp140 (nucleolar phosphoprotein of 140 kDa)-related domains, and a large RS domain. The RS-cyclophilins, a novel class of proteins, may play an important role in the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing.