GIPC1/GIPC/RGS19IP1, GIPC2, and GIPC3 genes constitute the human GIPC gene family. GIPC1 and GIPC2 show 62.0% total-amino-acid identity. GIPC1 and GIPC3 show 59.9% total-amino-acid identity. GIPC2 and GIPC3 show 55.3% total-amino-acid identity. GIPCs are proteins with central PDZ domain and GIPC homology (GH1 and GH2) domains. PDZ, GH1, and GH2 domains are conserved among human GIPCs, Xenopus GIPC/Kermit, and Drosophila GIPC/ LP09416. Bioinformatics revealed that GIPC genes are linked to prostanoid receptor genes and DNAJB genes in the human genome as follows: GIPC1 gene is linked to prostaglandin E receptor 1 (PTGER1) gene and DNAJB1 gene in human chromosome 19p13.2-p13.1 region; GIPC2 gene to prostaglandin F receptor (PTGFR) gene and DNAJB4 gene in human chromosome 1p31.1-p22.3 region; GIPC3 gene to thromboxane A2 receptor (TBXA2R) gene in human chromosome 19p13.3 region. GIPC1 and GIPC2 mRNAs are expressed together in OKAJIMA, TMK1, MKN45 and KATO-III cells derived from diffuse-type of gastric cancer, and are up-regulated in several cases of primary gastric cancer. PDZ domain of GIPC family proteins interact with Frizzled-3 (FZD3) class of WNT receptor, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF1) receptor, receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA, TGF-β type III receptor (TGF-β RIII), integrin α6A subunit, transmembrane glycoprotein 5T4, and RGS19/RGS-GAIP. Because RGS19 is a member of the RGS family that regulate heterotrimeric G-protein signaling, GIPCs might be scaffold proteins linking heterotrimeric G-proteins to seven-transmembrane-type WNT receptor or to receptor tyrosine kinases. Therefore, GIPC1, GIPC2 and GIPC3 might play key roles in carcinogenesis and embryogenesis through modulation of growth factor signaling and cell adhesion.

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