Rat TGN38 Alexa Fluor™ Plus 488-conjugated Antibody

TGN38 (Trans-Golgi network integral membrane protein TGN38) is an 80-100 kDa integral membrane protein that is associated with intracellular trafficking. Its name derives from the fact that its predicted MW is 38 kDa. Although TGN38 cycles continuously between the Golgi and plasma membrane via endosomal vesicles, it is principally localized to the Golgi apparatus. Functionally, TGN38 is involved in both the formation of secretory vesicles, and in the process of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This is accomplished through the creation of a 250 kDa cytoplasmic complex composed of a Tgoln1 dimer, Rab6, and other molecules that interact with the F-actin binding proteins neurabin-I and -II. This interaction likely contributes to directional vesicle trafficking. Mature rat Tgoln1 is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that is 340 amino acids (aa) in length. It contains a 286 aa extracellular/luminal region (aa 18-303) plus a 33 aa cytoplasmic domain (aa 325-357). The luminal region appears to be heavily glycosylated with both O- and N-linked carbohydrate, some of which terminates in polysialylation; the cytoplasmic domain contains a cytosolic trafficking motif that encompases aa 348-353. There is one splice variant (TGN41) that contains a 26 aa substitution for the three C-terminal aa of TGN38. It has been suggested that this may heterodimerize with TGN38. Over aa 18-303, rat TGN38/Tgoln1 shares 67% aa sequence identity with the mouse ortholog to rat Tgoln1.