Molecular cloning of two novel types of peptidylarginine deiminase cDNAs from retinoic acid-treated culture of a newborn rat keratinocyte cell line.

Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) are a group of enzymes which convert protein arginine residues to citrulline residues. Using rat muscle PAD cDNA as a probe, we obtained two novel cDNAs, PAD-R11 and PAD-R4, from immortalized rat keratinocytes treated with all-trans retinoic acid. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences with those of muscle and hair follicle enzymes showed high conservation in the C-terminal region. Recombinant proteins encoded by both PAD-R11 and PAD-R4 showed the enzyme activities. That of PAD-R11 showed a characteristic feature of the enzyme found in the epidermis.