Interaction of serologically defined colon cancer antigen-3 with Arf6 and its predominant expression in the mouse testis

ADP ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) is a small GTPase that regulates endosomal trafficking and actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Here, we identified the serologically defined colon antigen-3 (SDCCAG3) as an Arf6-interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid screening with a constitutively active Arf6 mutant. SDCCAG3 interacts specifically with Arf6 among the Arf family members through its 101  C-terminal amino acids. SDCCAG3 is expressed most intensely in the testis at the mRNA and protein levels. In the testis, SDCCAG3 is expressed in spermatocytes and spermatids. We also show that full-length SDCCAG3, but not a mutant lacking the ability to interact with Arf6, is recruited to the midbody during cytokinesis when expressed exogenously in HeLa cells. These findings suggest that SDCCAG3 might function in endosomal trafficking downstream of Arf6.