NPRL2, also known as TUSC4 (tumor suppressor candidate 4), is a 380 amino acid protein that contains a bipartite nuclear localization signal and a granulin protein-binding domain. It is highly expressed in skeletal muscle, followed by brain, liver and pancreas, with lower expression in lung, kidney, placenta and heart. NPRL2 is also expressed in most lung cancer cell lines and may be involved in tumor suppression. NPRL2 may play a role in mismatch repair, cell cycle checkpoint signaling and activation of apoptotic pathways. It may also enhance the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy drugs such as cis-platin by resensitizing patients resistant to cisplatin treatment. The gene encoding NPRL2 is conserved between species and is expressed as two isoforms due to alternative splicing events.
