| Modification Notes |
The StARD (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein-related lipid transfer (START) domain containing) family of proteins is comprised of fifteen different members. All members contain the characteristic START domain and are believed to play key roles in the metabolism and transport of lipids. The StARD proteins are grouped into six subfamilies based on their START domain sequences. StARD8, StARD12 and StARD13 constitute one subfamily, namely the RhoGAP START group. StARD13, also known as DLC2 (deleted in liver cancer protein 2) or GT650, is a RhoGAP protein specific for Rho A and Cdc42. StARD13 contains one RhoGAP domain, one SAM (sterile alpha motif) domain and one START domain. It localizes to the mitochondrion and cytoplasmic speckles in close association with lipid droplets, suggesting an additional function for StARD13 in mitochondrial lipid transport. StARD13 is ubiquitously expressed but is often deleted in hepatocellular and breast cancer cells, implying that StARD13 also acts as a tumor suppressor. |