CLONING OF AN INSULIN-DEPENDENT MEMBRANE AMINOPEPTIDASE FROM GLUT-4 VESICLES

Abstract: An aminopeptidase which cleaves insulin has been purified from GLUT-4-containing vesicles and cloned. The peptidase has a measured mass of approximately 165 kD, but is 110 kD in its deglycosylated state. It has a predicted mass of 117,239 Daltons based on the amino acid sequence predicted from the cDNA of the figure (SEQ ID NOs: 15 and 16). It includes peptides having the amino acid sequences Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1) and Ile-Leu-Gln-Asn-Gln-Ile-Gln-Gln-Gln-Thr-Arg-Thr-Asp-Glu-Gly-Xaa-Pro-Xaa-Met (SEQ ID NO: 2), and binds with antibodies produced against the peptide identified as (SEQ ID NO: 1). Modulators of the activity of the aminopeptidase and a method for treating syndromes of insulin resistance, including diabetes, by administration of such a modulator are also claimed.

Description: CLONING OF AN INSULIN-DEPENDENT MEMBRANE AMINOPEPTIDASE FROM GLUT-4 VESICLES. Field This application relates to biochemistry of diabetes, and more particularly, to an aminopeptidase which is involved in insulin regulation. Background Adipocytes and myocytes contain intracellular GLUT4- containing vesicles which fuse to the plasma membrane upon insulin stimulation. The resulting increase in plasma membrane GLUT4 is responsible for the 10 to 20-fold increase in glucose transport in the insulin-stimulated state. GLUT4-containing vesicle movement from the cytoplasm to fusion with the plasma membrane, a process termed translocation, is believed to be abnormal in both insulin resistance and non-insulin dependent diabetes ellitus (NIDDM) (B. Kahn, J. Clin. Invest., 89_, 1367-1374, (1992)). The normal molecular mechanisms of insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4-containing vesicles to the plasma membrane and the concomitant increase in glucose uptake by the affected cells are still largely unknown. Proposed mechanisms include both GLUT4-containing vesicle docking and fusion with the plasma membrane. The GLUT4-containing vesicles are only a minor fraction of the total intracellular vesicle population within adipocytes (James et al, J. Biol. Chem., 262. 11817-11824, (1987)). These G UT4 vesicles can be isolated from the low density microsomal fraction using immunoaffinity methods with antibodies to the cytoplasmic-oriented C-terminus of GLUT4 (James, et al, J. Biol. Chem., 262. 11817-11824, (1987); Thoidis, et al, J. Biol. Chem., 268. 11691-11696, (1993)). GLUT4-enriched vesicles have been shown to contain several synaptic vesicle-like proteins including vesicle associated membrane protein (VAMP) (Cain et al, J. Biol. Chem., 267, 11681-11684, (1992) ) , secretory carrier associated membrane protein (SCAMP) (Laurie et al, J. Biol. Chem., 268. 19110- 19117, (1993)), and certain ras analog proteins originally identified in brain (Rab proteins) (Cormont, et al, J. Biol. Chem., ______ 19491-19497, (1993)). Presently the pharmacologic therapy for NIDDM may not target the insulin resistance which is the key pathophysiological abnormality of the disease. The existing therapies are 1) diet and exercise; 2) sulfonylureas, which stimulate insulin secretion; 3) α-glucosidase inhibitors, which inhibit the enzymatic digestion of complex carbohydrates and thereby slow the postprandial absorption of glucose; 4) metformin, whose mechanism likely includes improvement of hepatic insulin sensitivity, and 5) insulin injections. A therapeutic agent which targets insulin resistance and improves insulin sensitivity would have significant advantages over the therapies listed above. Such a therapeutic agent is the subject of the present invention. It is an objective of this invention to increase insulin sensitivity by modulating the aminopeptidase associated with GLUT4 vesicles. S mmary The present invention relates to a novel aminopeptidase, herein designated GTVap, which is a component of GLUT4- containing vesicles and is involved in the insulin-signalling pathway. It also relates to the use of therapeutic modulators of this protein to treat diabetes. Additional aspects of the invention will be discussed below. Down-regulation of peptide signalling molecules is important to maintain normal homeostasis. More particularly, down-regulation or removal of active insulin is important for prevention of hyperinsuline ia with resulting hypoglycemia in nondiabetic individuals. Current dogma is that all circulating insulin is degraded after binding to the insulin receptor, internalization, and eventual intracellular proteolysis by a previously characterized insulin degrading e_nzyme (IDE) . Data presented herein indicate that an additional mechanism for insulin degradation exists, namely, that adipocyte cell surface GTVap removes the N-terminal amino acids from the insulin molecule, altering its physiological activity. Although this may be a normal mechanism of insulin processing, the increased level of enzyme present in obese.individuals or in conditions of increased enzyme activity leads to conditions in which plasma insulin has been partially inactivated. This explains the association of obesity with insulin resistance and NIDDM. Another indication that GTVap may be important in the insulin signalling pathway is the fact that GTVap is found primarily in insulin-sensitive tissues which also contain the GLUT4 protein. It is known that obesity is associated with a variety of clinical manifestations, as well as with increased body fat with a concomitant increase of GTVap. The increased body fat and GTVap may result in inappropriate inactivation or activation of other important circulating polypeptides besides insulin. Accordingly, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of GTVap constitutes a new therapeutic target for amelioration of insulin resistance, NIDDM, and obesity. The present invention relates to a protein which is a component of GLUT4-containing vesicles in the natural state. This protein has aminopeptidase activity; a molecular weight of approximately 165kD, 155kD, or 120kD depending upon its degree of glycosylation, and approximately HOkD in its deglycosylated form. It includes the amino acid sequences Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr- Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1) and Ile-Leu-Gln-Asn- Gln-Ile-Gln-Gln-Gln-Thr-Arg-Thr-Asp-Glu-Gly-Xaa-Pro-Xaa-Met (SEQ ID NO: 2), and reacts with antibodies produced against the peptide identified as (SEQ ID NO: 1) . It is encoded by the cDNA which encodes the full length sequence of GTVap (SEQ ID NOs: 15 and 16) and its amino acid sequence is essentially identical to that predicted for GTVap (SEQ ID NOs:15 and 16) The present invention also relates to muteins of this protein. The present invention also relates to the cDNA encoding the full length sequence of GTVap and the predicted protein sequence (SEQ. ID NOs: 15 and 16). The invention further relates to a method of treating syndromes of insulin resistance, comprising administering to a subject exhibiting a syndrome of insulin resistance an effective amount of a modulator of GTVap in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Other aspects of the invention will be discussed in the detailed description below. Description of the drawing The invention will be more completely understood from a consideration of the following detailed description and glossary of terms, taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a Western blot showing the immunoaffinity purification of GLUT4 vesicles; Fig. 2 is a protein stain of immunoaffinity-purified GLUT4 vesicles; Fig. 3 shows the HPLC profiles of tryptic digests of 165kD (upper trace) and 155kD (lower trace) GLUT4 vesicle proteins; Fig. 4 is a Western blot showing the enrichment of the 165kD and 155kD proteins in GLUT4 vesicles; Fig. 5 is a Western blot of the low density microsome (LDM) 165kD and 155kD proteins following treatment with N-Glycosidase F; Fig. 6 is a graph showing the quantitative enrichment of aminopeptidase activity in GLUT4 vesicles; Fig. 7 is a Western blot of the 165kD, 155kD and 120kD proteins in rat adipocyte membrane fractions; Fig. 8 is the GTVap enzyme activity in rat adipocyte membrane fractions; Fig. 9 is a graph showing the pH optimum of GTVap; Fig. 10 is a graph showing the temperature stability of GTVap; Fig. 11 is a graph of the effect of various ions on GTVap activity: Co (solid squares) ; Zn (open squares) ; Mg (solid diamonds) ; Mn (open diamonds) ; Ca (solid triangles) ; Fig. 12 is a graph of the ion enhancement of GTVap stability: control (open diamonds) ; 2 mM Mg (solid triangles) ; 0.02 mM Mn (open triangles); 2 mM Ca (solid circles); 1 μM Zn (solid squares); 1 μM Co (open squares) ; 0.2 mM DTT (solid diamonds) ; Fig. 13 is a graph of showing the effects of various protease inhibitors on GTVap activity: phenanthroline (solid squares); DTT (open squares); LLPAC (solid diamonds); dipyridyl (open diamonds) ; Fig. 14 is a graph of the effects of various aminopeptidase inhibitors on GTVap activity: bestatin (solid squares) ; actinonin (open squares) ; leuthiol (solid diamonds) ; amastatin (open diamonds) ; Fig. 15a is a graph of GTVap activity following an anion exchange chromatographic separation of WGA-purified GTVap; Fig. 15b is a Western blot of GTVap-120, 155 and 165 following an anion exchange chromatographic separation of WGA- purified GTVap; Fig. 16 is a graph of GTVap activity following an anion exchange enzyme activity profile of WGA- and IDAC- purified GTVap: IDAC flow through (solid diamonds) ; IDAC bound (open circles) ; Fig. 17 is a Western blot of GTVap from the plasma membrane fraction prior to and following insulin stimulation; Fig. 18 is a graph of GTVap activity in the plasma membrane prior to and following insulin stimulation; Fig. 19a, 19b, and 19c are graphs of the mass analysis of insulin upon digestion with GTVap, at times 0 hr., 3.5 hr., and 22 hr., respectively; Fig. 20 shows the cDNA sequences of GTVap and the protein sequences predicted from those cDNAs (SEQ. ID. Numbers 15 and 16) . Fig. 21 shows the GTVap and GLUT4 retention and sorting consensus sequence (SEQ ID NO: 20) , the reverse retention and sorting consensus sequence (SEQ ID NO: 21) , and the respective segments of the GTVap (in N to C orientation; (SEQ ID NOs 17 and 18)) and GLUT4 (in C to N orientation; (SEQ ID NO. 19)) from which they were derived. The asterisk indicates the sequence is written in the nonconventional C to N direction. Xaa stands for any amino acid; χiaa stands for Pro, Glu, or Asp; and X 2 aa stands for Arg or Lys. Detailed Description GLUT4-containing LDM vesicles from rat adipocytes have been purified by an immunoaffinity procedure and their protein composition has been compared to LDM vesicles lacking GLUT4. The hypothesis has been that the GLUT4 vesicle proteins are involved in the insulin-induced translocation of the vesicles, which includes movement from their resident intracellular compartment, docking with and fusion with the plasma membrane, and re-uptake or endocytosis from the plasma membrane upon termination of the insulin signal. The present purification strategy resulted in the identification of several unique proteins with molecular weights in the vicinity of 160kD. Two of the proteins identified as being unique to GLUT4- containing vesicles have molecular weights of approximately 165kD and 155kD, respectively. Initial attempts at N-terminal sequencing indicated that the N-terminus of each was blocked. Digestion of both the 165kD and 155kD proteins followed by microbore HPLC separation of the peptide fragments indicated that these proteins are closely related, as the HPLC-UV profiles of the digests are quite similar. One peptide sequence had 100% homology to a previously published 15 amino acid peptide claimed to be a fragment of a pregnancy-related plasma aminopeptidase. None of the remaining peptide sequences have any homology to the placental or any other known aminopeptidase. Experiments with a variety of synthetic and natural aminopeptidase substrates have shown that the 165kD, 155kD, and 120kD proteins within the adipocyte are aminopeptidases and are glycosylated since they bind to wheat germ lectin affinity resins. The 165kD and 155kD materials can be deglycosylated using N-glycosidase F and result in a protein of HOkD. The 120kD material is related to the 165kD and 155kD aminopeptidases since antibodies reactive with the 165kD and 155kD forms also react with the 120kD aminopeptidase. In the text below, each aminopeptidase from the GLUT4-containing vesicles will be referred to as a Glucose Transporter Vesicle Sminop.eptidase (GTVap) , with the molecular weight in kD being appended to the designation. Although one peptide sequence of GTVap 165kD had 100% homology to a known pregnancy-related aminopeptidase of placental origin, the two aminopeptidases have significantly different properties and are presumably members of a larger family of aminopeptidases. The GTVap enzyme activity and immunoreactivity have also been found in rat muscle, human fat, and the adipocyte cell line 3T3-L1. High levels of immunoreactivity can also be found in spleen with lower amounts in other tissues. Regarding the isolated and purified aminopeptidase which is a component of GLUT4-containing vesicles in the natural state, the aminopeptidase activity, molecular weight, certain amino acid sequences, and its reactivity with antibodies produced against the peptide identified as [SEQ ID NO: 1] have been summarized above. This protein is useful for identification of modulators which may have utility in the treatment of diabetes. The protein is further characterized in that it possesses optimal activity at neutral pH; its relative activity toward synthetic amino acid p-nitroanilide substrates is: leucine>>proline, alanine> valine, glycine; its relative activity toward synthetic amino acid napthylamide substrates is leucine > lysine > arginine > methionine > alanine > phenylalanine; its activity is modulated by divalent ions of Co, Zn, Mg, Mn, and Ca; the minimum temperature of inactivation is between 40°C and 50°C; its activity is stabilized by ions of Ca; its activity is reduced by phenanthroline, dipyridyl, leuthiol, amastatin, actinonin, and bestatin; and it has at least three glycosylated forms having molecular weights of approximately 165kD, 155kD, and 120kD, respectively. These characteristics are developed in the experimental section below. In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for purifying GTVap and separating glycosylated species thereof, comprising the following steps: (a) extracting the GTVap from at least one source; (b) contacting the resulting GTVap extract with lectin affinity resin to absorb glycosylated GTVap; (c) eluting the glycosylated GTVap from the lectin affinity resin; (d) contacting the eluate from the lectin affinity resin with a chelation chromatography resin which includes a metal ion which interacts simultaneously with the resin and with GTVap; (e) collecting unbound material from the chelation chromatography resin; (f) eluting bound material from the chelation chromatography resin; (g) separately contacting the unbound and the eluted GTVap-containing fractions from the chelation chromatography resin with anion exchange resin; (h) eluting bound GTVap species from the anion exchange resin; and (i) detecting separated GTVap species from the anion exchange resin. In the claimed method of purifying GTVap and separating glycosylated species thereof, the step of extracting GTVap from at least one biological source of origin is preferably carried out using a mixture of at least one metal ion stabilizer and a detergent. As shown in the experimental section below, the activity of the enzyme decreases with time and in the absence of stabilizing agents. It has now been found that calcium ion, preferably at a concentration of 2 mM, serves as one of a potentially larger number of metal ions which serve to stabilize the activity of the protein. A variety of different detergents may be employed, non-ionic detergents such as Triton X-100 being preferred. The step of contacting the GTVap extract with lectin affinity resin to absorb glycosylated GTVap is carried out using any of a number of commercially available lectins known to those skilled in the art for their ability to absorb glycoproteins. These include Concanavalin A, wheat germ, Helix, Lens culinaris, and Limulus lectins. Although wheat germ lectin was employed in this invention, others could have been used. Elution of the glycosylated GTVap from the lectin affinity resin is accomplished using any of a variety of procedures to disrupt the lectin-carbohydrate binding. Examples include use of a competing carbohydrate ligand, and varying the conditions of pH. The chelation chromatography step is conducted by contacting the eluate from the lectin affinity resin with a chelation chromatography resin comprising a metal ion which interacts simultaneously with the resin and with GTVap. There are a number of suitable commercially available chelation chromatography resins. These resins are typically loaded with metal ions which can interact with the protein or glycoprotein being purified, and with the resin. In the present invention, it is preferable to use zinc as the metal ion, as this can interact with the GTVap and with the iminodiacetate resin used. Elution of bound material from the chelation chromatography resin typically is accomplished by adding a chelating agent such as EDTA or by changing the pH. Preferably, conditions which do not alter the intrinsic activity of the enzyme are employed. The step of separately contacting the unbound and the eluted GTVap-containing fractions from the chelation chromatography resin with anion exchange resin can be accomplished using a variety of different supports containing functionally active ligands known to those skilled in the art. The process of this invention preferably uses a resin such as Resource Q which has a high resolution capacity and excellent flow rates when run using fast liquid chromatographic procedures. Elution of bound GTVap species from the anion exchange resin is preferably accomplished by use of an increasing salt gradient, or alternatively, by changing the buffer pH. The step of detecting separated GTVap species from the anion exchange resin is carried out by measuring enzyme activity. The GTVap activity can be detected using any of a number of substrates, including the amino acid p- nitroanilide or β-napthylamide derivatives as well as native protein substrates such as insulin. Other substrates could also be employed. This procedure is useful for purification of the enzyme, which in turn permits its further characterization, as well as preparation of antibodies to the enzyme, and identification of modulators of the enzyme's activity. In a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for identifying modulators of GTVap activity, comprising the following steps: (a) providing GTVap or GTVap-containing material having an assayable amount of enzymatic activity; (b) incubating the GTVap or GTVap-containing material with a test substance to be assayed for ability to modulate GTVap activity; (c) adding a GTVap substrate; (d) monitoring GTVap activity as a function of time; and (e) determining the modulatory effect of the test substance on GTVap. Regarding the method for identifying modulators of GTVap activity, the step of providing GTVap or GTVap-containing material having an assayable amount of enzymatic activity involves the use of biological tissues including but not limited to adipose tissue, skeletal muscle tissue, cardiac muscle, spleen tissue, cell lines derived from these materials, or recombinant sources made using methods known to those skilled in the art. Such tissue would typically be of human or rodent origin, though GTVap also can be derived from other species. Preferably, the human source of the enzyme is used. A recombinant source would be, for instance, insertion of the gene encoding GTVap into a prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell line capable of transcribing the inserted gene, resulting in the expression of an enzymatically active GTVap molecule. Such procedures are understood by those skilled in the art. In the step of incubating the GTVap or GTVap-containing material with a test substance to be assayed for ability to modulate GTVap activity the possible test substances would include analogs of known aminopeptidase inhibitors, and synthetic and naturally occurring test substances with no known previous activity. The step of adding a GTVap substrate would typically involve use of a synthetic aminopeptidase substrate such as leucine p- nitroanilide, or a synthetic or naturally occurring polypeptide substrate in which the N-terminal amino acids could be removed by the particular enzyme. Two examples of suitable polypeptides are insulin and synthetic insulin. The step of monitoring GTVap activity as a function of time is generally carried out by monitoring disappearance of substrate or appearance of the product of enzymatic activity upon the substrate. This is typically accomplished by spectroscopic or chromatographic means, though a wide variety of other techniques have been employed for the purpose, depending on the individual cases. The step of determining the modulatory effect of said test substance on GTVap is carried out by comparing the rate of cleavage of the GTVap substrate in the presence and absence of the test substance. In a fourth aspect the invention relates to an antibody specific for GTVap, produced using substantially pure GTVap or a fragment thereof. The antibody specific for GTVap may be produced as follows. Polyclonal antisera is produced against GTVap by injecting intact GTVap or fragments thereof into any of a variety of host animals such as rabbits, mice, goats, and sheep. The antibodies produced in such host animals will be polyclonal in nature, in which case the specific antibodies can be partially purified by procedures known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, monoclonal antibodies may be produced by fusion of immunocompetent spleen cells with myeloma cells to yield a hybrid cell line that produces essentially monoclonal immunoglobulin. Under the current state of that art, such animals include mice and rats. The antibodies would find use in the detection and quantitation of GTVap in biological materials. Additionally, such antibodies could be used for the purification of GTVap using immunoaffinity methods known to those skilled in the art. In a fifth aspect the invention relates to a method for preparing proteins and peptides truncated at the amino- terminus, comprising the step of incubating a protein or peptide with GTVap. Regarding the method for preparing truncated proteins and peptides, the process is carried out by incubating the subject protein under conditions which enhance GTVap activity, i.e., under conditions of neutral pH and in the presence of ions which increase or stabilize the activity of the GTVap. The truncated product is isolated from the reaction by any suitable separating procedure. The material being truncated is insulin or any polypeptide with an amino terminus capable of being cleaved by GTVap. The method of preparing truncated peptides and proteins is used to derive new pharmacologically active polypeptides. In a sixth aspect the invention relates to a method for determining GTVap in biological material, comprising the following steps: (a) preparing a specimen of biological material to optimally expose immunoreactive epitopes; (b) incubating this specimen or an extract thereof with GTVap specific antibody; (c) removing unbound antibodies from the specimen; and (d) quantifying antibodies bound to GTVap in the specimen. Regarding the method for determining GTVap in biological material, the step of preparing a specimen of biological material to optimally expose immunoreactive epitopes is carried out by washing with buffer or treating under more chaotropic conditions which will expose epitopes that are buried in the native conformation of the protein. Such chaotropes would include acetone- or alcohol-containing solutions, SDS, and other denaturants with similar properties. These preparative methods allow detection of either native or denatured GTVap. The step of incubating the specimen or an extract thereof with GTVap specific antibody is carried out in the normal manner, and preferably employs the GTVapl antibody of the present invention. The GTVap-specific antibody can be labeled directly, with fluorophors, biotin, a radioisotope, or an enzyme such as alkaline phosphatase or horseradish peroxidase. The quantification of antibodies bound to GTVap in the specimen is carried out by identifying the aforementioned labels. Alternatively, bound antibody can be detected using secondary antibodies which are themselves labeled and which will bind specifically to the primary antibody, which is in turn bound to GTVap. In an seventh aspect the invention relates to an oligonucleotide probe specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap. Examples of oligonucleotide probes specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap are the following materials, which are shown below in conjunction with the amino acid sequences identified in GTVap, referred to in Table I: Peptide: Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1) Corresponding "Sense" oligonucleotide: 5' TTY GCN GCN ACN CAR TTY GAR CCN YTN GCN GCN 3' (SEQ ID NO: 3) Corresponding "Antisense" oligonucleotide: 5' NGC NGC NAR NGG YTC RAA YTG NGT NGC NGC RAA 3' (SEQ ID NO: 4) Peptide: Ile-Leu-Gln-Asn-Gln-Ile-Gln-Gln-Gln-Thr- Arg-Thr-Asp-Glu-Gly (SEQ ID NO: 5) Corresponding "Sense" oligonucleotide: 5' ATH YTN CAR AAY CAR ATH CAR CAR CAR ACN MGN ACN GAY GAR GGN 3' (SEQ ID NO: 6) Corresponding "Antisense" oligonucleotide: 5' NCC YTC RTC NGT NCK NGT YTG YTG YTG DAT YTG RTT YTG NAR DAT 3 ' (SEQ ID NO: 7) In the above sense and antisense oligonucleotides the standard single letter designations are used for the individual bases, and the letter N designates degenerate positions. N is A, T, C, G, or I (inosine); R is A or G; Y is C or T; M is A or C; K is G or T; S is C or G; W is A or T; H is A, C, or T; B is C, G, or T; V is A, C, or G; and D is A, G, or T. Fragments of the above oligonucleotides and additional nucleotide replacements known to those skilled in the art constitute further examples. These oligonucleotides can be used in determining nucleic acids encoding GTVap in biological sources. In an eighth aspect the invention relates to a method for determining a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap in a biological specimen, comprising the following steps: (a) preparing a biological specimen for analysis of nucleic acid material; (b) incubating nucleic acid material of this biological specimen with an oligonucleotide or nucleic acid probe specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap; (c) removing unbound oligonucleotide or nucleic acid probe from the nucleic acid material; and (d) determining oligonucleotide probe bound to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap. Regarding the method for determining a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap in a biological specimen, the step of preparing a biological specimen for analysis of nucleic acid material is carried out by lysis in detergent, or in an alkaline medium, or through the use of chaotropic agents. This is followed by purification of the DNA or RNA using affinity chromatography (this is useful for mRNA, and uses oligo-dT to purify mRNA) , or by centrifugation in CsCl gradients (useful for both DNA and RNA) , or by destruction of contaminating material using proteases (to destroy protein) and specific nucleases (to destroy unwanted DNA or RNA) . The material can be directly applied to a membrane, separated by gel electrophoresis, or further analyzed by restriction digestion before gel electrophoresis. The final material is immobilized on a membrane capable of binding nucleic acid. The steps of incubating nucleic acid material from this biological specimen with an oligonucleotide probe specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap, removing unbound oligonucleotide probe from the nucleic acid material, and determining oligonucleotide probe bound to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap are carried out in the manner known to those skilled in the art. In a ninth aspect, the invention relates to a nucleic acid sequence which encodes GTVap. More particularly, the invention relates to a purified nucleic acid consisting essentially of a nucleic acid encoding a GTVap having the amino acid sequence depicted in Sequence ID NOs 15 and 16, or to a nucleic acid able to hybridize to the complement thereof under stringent conditions and which encodes a GTVap. These are shown in Fig. 20. It should be noted that some DNA clones include an AGC series of nucleotides which is absent in other clones, resulting in a GLN in certain of the resultant predicted proteins; this is shown by the boxes in Fig. 20, and in the sequences identified as SEQ ID NO: 15 (which contains the insert) and SEQ ID NO: 16 (which does not contain the insert) , which are the same except for this difference. This nucleic acid sequence may be used to identify or purify nucleic acid sequence encoding GTVap from biological sources using methods known to those skilled in the art. Oligonucleotides derived from a region of this nucleic acid sequence or able to hybridize to this sequence or to its complement, can be used to identify mutations in this sequence that are present in biological sources. The nucleic acid may also be inserted in a vector possessing a heterologous promoter and recombinant protein expressed by inserting this into a cell. The recombinant protein may be full length GTVap or a mutein thereof. The preferred expression system is a homogeneous population of cells, each possessing a cloned nucleic acid encoding a GTVap or a mutein thereof having the amino acid sequence depicted in Fig.20 (SEQ ID NOs 15 and 16) or a nucleic acid able to hybridize to the complement thereof under stringent conditions and which encodes a GTVap. The preferred cells are mammalian cells stably expressing GTVap protein, although prokaryotic and other eukaryotic cells may be used. A method of producing GTVap comprises the steps of culturing cells possessing a cloned nucleic acid encoding a GTVap as defined above in medium to form a population of cells which expresses GTVap, and purifying GTVap from the cells or from the culture medium. The GTVap may be purified using the method described above or other methods known to those skilled in the art. The recombinant GTVap may be used as a source of enzymatically active aminopeptidase for research or therapeutic purposes. In a tenth aspect the invention relates to a polypeptide which encodes the retention sequence of a protein, and is selected from the group consisting of a first polypeptide, comprising the following sequence of amino acid residues:-X 1 aa- Xaa-(Xiaa) 3 -(Xaa) 2 _ 3 -Tyr-Glu-(Xaa)ι_ 3 -Ser-(Xaa) 0 -ι-X 2 aa-(Xaa)0-4- Leu-Leu- (SEQ ID NO: 20) , and a second polypeptide, the reverse of the first, comprising the following sequence of amino acid residues: -Leu-Leu- (Xaa) 0 - 4 -X 2 aa- (Xaa) 0 -ι-Ser- (Xaa) ! _ 3 -Glu-Tyr- (Xaa) 2 _ 3 - (Xiaa) 3 -Xaa-Xiaa- (SEQ ID NO: 21*); wherein Xaa represents any amino acid residue, X aa represents Pro, Glu, or Asp, and X 2 aa represents Arg or Lys, and muteins thereof. Fig. 21 shows these GTVap and GLUT4 retention and sorting consensus sequences. Particular examples of such polypeptides are those in which the retention sequence is His Pro Leu Glu Pro Asp Glu Val Glu Tyr Glu Pro Arg Gly Ser Arg Leu Leu (SEQ. ID NO 17); His Glu Met Asp Glu Asp Glu Glu Asp Tyr Glu Ser Ser Ala Lys Leu Leu (SEQ. ID NO 18) ; or Leu Leu Glu Gin Glu Val Lys Pro Ser Thr Glu Leu Glu Tyr Leu Gly Pro Asp Glu Asn Glu (SEQ. ID NO 19) . The retention sequence represented by sequence ID No. 20 is found in GTVap as sequences ID NOs 17 and 18. That represented by seq. ID NO 21 can be found in GLUT4 as sequence ID NO. 19. These polypeptides (SEQ ID NOs 17 - 21) may be synthesized by chemical means known to those skilled in the art or expressed by recombinant means, and would serve as useful reagents for identification of modulators of intracellular trafficking. A method for identifying an insulin sensitive retention sequence of a protein other than GTVap whose sorting is regulated by insulin comprises determining the amino acid sequence of the protein, comparing its sequence with the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO. 20 or 21, and identifying an amino acid sequence of the protein which contains or is homologous to the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide (SEQ ID NOs 20 or 21) . Once such retention sequences are identified in such other proteins, these proteins are implicated as materials which sort in the manner of GLUT4 and GTVap, and would thus likely be regulated by insulin. The invention also relates to a method for identifying an intracellular sorting protein or active fragment thereof which binds to an insulin sensitive retention sequence of a second protein. This method comprises 1) incubating the intracellular sorting protein with the retention sequence under conditions favorable for binding between the sorting protein and the retention sequence, and 2) identifying specifically bound sorting protein. Such a method could involve immobilization of the retention sequence, followed by addition of a cell extract containing the intracellular sorting protein. Nonspecifically bound proteins would be removed, then the intracellular sorting protein would be eluted and analyzed. An alternative method would involve expression of the retention sequence as a bait in the "two-hybrid" system and the screening of a library to identify a DNA encoding a protein that specifically interacts with the sequence. Such a protein would be the intracellular sorting protein. This material, in combination with the retention sequence, will allow for the identification of compounds which disrupt their interaction. In accordance with the foregoing, a method for identifying a compound capable of altering the intracellular sorting of at least one of GLUT4 and GTVap comprises: a) incubating an intracellular sorting protein or active fragment thereof with the polypeptide retention sequence of sequence ID NOs 20 or 21 under conditions favorable for binding between the sorting protein and the retention sequence in the presence and absence of a test compound; b) quantifying specifically bound complexes of the sorting protein and the retention sequence; and c) comparing the degrees of complex formation in the presence and absence of the test compound. Such compounds would be useful for treating syndromes of insulin resistance. The method of treating syndromes of insulin resistance relates to treatment of conditions such as diabetes, obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and other conditions associated with hyperinsulinemia such as, but not limited to, Syndrome X, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Dosages and times of administration would be in accordance with standard protocols, with the therapeutic aim of lowering blood glucose levels, plasma glucose levels, surrogate markers such as glycated proteins such as hemoglobin Aι c , and insulin levels, such as, for example, (depending on the specific modulator) orally, transcutaneously, or intranasally, or in an injectable form, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously, or by other suitable means, and would have an insulin mimetic activity or insulin enhancing activity. The claimed method can be used alone or in combination with other therapies for treatment of insulin resistance and related syndromes. Further details will be readily apparent without undue experimentation to those skilled in the art. Material and Methods The following list of terms, sources, instruments, etc. is provided to aid the reader in understanding and reproducing the experimental work to be presented below. Abbreviations and descriptions: Cellular membrane fractions: PM (plasma membrane) , HDM (high density microsomes) , and LDM (low density microsomes ) are cellular membrane fractions defined by their intrinsic density and sedimentation behavior during centrifugation and by their enrichment of particular enzymes that typify these membranes. GTVap stands for G_lucose Transporter Yesicle sminoEeptidase. GTVapl refers to rabbit polyclonal antibody produced from the peptide Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala- [Cys] [SEQ ID NO: 8] that react with the different forms of GTVap. KRBH buffer is 120mM NaCl, 4mM KH 2 P0 4 , ImM CaCl 2 , lOmM NaHC0 3 and 30mM HEPES, and has a pH of 7.4. RACE is Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends TBS (Tris buffered saline) is lOmM Tris, 150mM NaCl, 0.01% Thimerosal, pH 8.0. TBS-TW is TBS with 0.05% Tween-20. TES (Tris-EDTA-sucrose) buffer is 20mM Tris, ImM EDTA, 250 mM sucrose, pH 7.5. SDS-PAGE is sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Reagents: Actinonin was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Amastatin was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. ω-aminohexyl Sepharose 4B was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. AmpliTaq DNA polymerase was obtained from Perkin Elmer, Norwalk, CT. Benzamidine was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Bestatin was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. BSA (bovine serum albumin-Fraction V) was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. , St. Louis, MO. Collagenase was obtained from Worthington, Freehold, NJ. Coomassie blue G-250 and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) were obtained from BioRad, Hercules, CA. Cytochalasin B was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. DFP (diisopropylfluorophosphate) was obtained from Aldrich, Milwaukee, WT. EDTA is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO.. Expand DNA thermostable DNA poly erase was obtained from Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN. HEPES is N- (2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'- (2-ethanesulfonic acid) and is obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis MO. IAV matrix, Immobilon (AV) membrane was obtained from Millipore Corp., Milford, MA. IDAC stands for iminodiacetic acid chelation resin, obtained from Pierce, Rockford, IL. Insulin (porcine) was obtained from Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN. Leupeptin was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. L-leucinethiol was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Marathon RACE kit was obtained from Clontech, Palo Alto, CA. Oligonucleotides were obtained from Midland Certified Reagent Company, Midland, TX. Pepstatin A was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. PMSF (phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride) was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Problot membranes were obtained from Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA. PVDF membrane is polyvinylidene difluoride, Millipore Corp., Bedford MA. Rat heart RACE Ready cDNA (7383-1) was obtained from Clontech, Palo ALto, CA. Rat skeletal muscle cDNA library (RL3003b) was obtained from Clontech, Palo Alto, CA. Rat skeletal muscle polyA+ RNA was obtained from Clontech, Palo Alto, CA. Resource Q anion exchange resin contains quaternary ammonium groups on rigid polystyrene/divinylbenzene beads 15 μm in diameter and was obtained from Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ. Retrotherm thermostable RNA and DNA dependent DNA polymerase was obtained from Epicentre Technologies, Madison, WI. Sequenase kits were from United States Biochemical, Cleveland, OH. Sinapinic acid (3,5 dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) was obtained from Aldrich, Milwaukee, WI. sMBS (m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide ester) was obtained from Pierce, Rockford, IL. Streptavidin was purchased from Zymed Corp. , South San Francisco, CA. Supelcosil LC-18-DB, 3μm, 2.1X250mm columns were obtained from Supelco Corp., Bellefonte, PA. TEA (triethylamine) was obtained from Pierce, Rockford, IL. 3' RACE kit was obtained from Clontech, Palo Alto, CA. TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) was obtained from Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA. Thimerosal is sodium ethyl mercurithiol salicylate, available from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Tris stands for tris hydroxyaminomethane. Triton X-100 was obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO. Trypsin (modified sequencing grade, porcine) was obtained from Promega, Madison, WI. WGA stands for wheat germ lectin-Sepharose 6MB, which was obtained from Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ. Radiolabeled materials and scintillation fluids . i25i-p r otein A (2-10 μCi/μg) was used for Western blot analyses. All isotopes and scintillation fluids (Aquasol) were from New England Nuclear, Boston, MA. or Amersham Corporation, Arlington Heights, IL. General Methods of Peptide synthesis All peptides including the COOH-terminal 15 amino acid residues of the rat GLUT4 sequence (495-509; [Cys] -Lys-Pro-Ser- Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu-Tyr-Leu-Gly-Pro-Asp-Glu-Asn-Asp (SEQ ID NO: 9)) and fragments thereof (Lys-Pro-Ser-Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu- [Cys] (SEQ ID NO: 10) ; Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu-Tyr-Leu- [Cys] (SEQ ID NO: 11); [Cys]-Gly-Pro-Asp-Glu-Asn-Asp (SEQ ID NO: 12) ; the GTVap peptide (Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala- [Cys] (SEQ ID NO: 8)) and the insulin-derived peptides were synthesized using solid phase methods on the 430A peptide synthesizer previously described in U.S. Patent No. 5,225,354 of Knowles and Marchesi. All peptides were synthesized with a cysteine residue at the -NH 2 or -COOH terminus identified as [Cys] in the sequence and were covalently attached to ω-aminohexyl Sepharose 4B or to a fluorophore for monitoring the proteolytic cleavage of insulin-derived peptides. The peptides were labeled with sulfhydral-specific fluorescein conjugates. In this procedure a two-fold molar excess of fluorescein-5- maleimide in dimethyl-formamide (40mg/ml) was added to the peptide (lOmg/ml) in 100 mM sodium phosphate, 5mM EDTA, pH 7.1 and incubated for 20 hours at room temperature. The resulting peptide-fluorescein conjugate was purified by HPLC chromatography as described by Knowles and Marchesi, U.S. Patent No. 5,225,354. Instrumentation The 477a Protein Sequencer, the 120A Amino acid analyzer and the 430A peptide synthesizer were from Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA. i25i was measured in a Wallac (LKB) 1272 Clinigamma Counter. HPLC data acquisition and analysis of the tryptic digests of 155kD and 165kD proteins was performed on a Nelson Turbochrome System (Perkin-Elmer Nelson, Norwalk, CT.) Mass spectrometry for mass analysis of the synthetic peptides and insulin fragments was performed using a Kratos Maldi 3 laser desorption-time of flight mass spectrometer (LD- TOF-MS) , with saturated sinapinic acid, 0.1%TFA, 50% acetonitrile as the matrix. General method for protein determination Protein quantities were determined using the bicinchoninic acid method (BCA) as described by the manufacturer (Pierce, Rockford, IL. ) Immunoaffinitv purification of anti-oeotide antibodies The GLUT4 and GTVap anti-peptide antibodies were purified by immunoaffinity absorption prior to their use in Western blots or for the purification of GLUT4 vesicles. For this purpose, the peptide immunogens containing a single cysteine were coupled to Sepharose, as described by the following method. ω-aminohexyl Sepharose 4B resin was washed with 50mM Na 2 Pθ 4 , lOmM EDTA, pH 7.0. The resin was suspended in a 50% slurry and sMBS (2μmoles/ml resin) added. After 10 minutes at ambient temperature, the derivitized resin was washed in 50mM Na 2 P0 lOmM EDTA, pH 7.0, and resuspended to a 50% slurry. The cysteine-containing peptide was added (1-2 mg peptide/ml) and reacted overnight at ambient temperature. The resulting peptide-resin conjugate was washed with 0. IM acetic acid and then 50mM Na 2 P0 , lOmM EDTA, pH 7.0 prior to use. For immunoaffinity purification, polyclonal antisera to the individual peptides were diluted 1:1 with lOOmM NaH P0 4 , 150mM NaCl, pH 7.5 and applied to the corresponding peptide- resin. Following a brief wash with the above buffer, the bound affinity-purified antibody was eluted with 0.IM acetic acid and the pH immediately adjusted to pH 8.0 with 1.0M Tris base. The purified antibody was dialyzed against and stored in 0. IM sodium borate pH 8.0 containing 0.5% sodium azide. Western blot analysis Prior to Western blot analysis, proteins were electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE gels (Laemmli, Nature, 277. 680- 685, 1970) and transferred to PVDF or Problot membranes by the method of Tobin, et al, PNAS, 7_£, 4350-4354, 1979. For Western blot analysis of GLUT4 and GTVap, rabbit anti-GLUT4 antibody, immunoaffinity-purified as above, was used at a 1:5000 dilution (lμg/5ml); GTVap affinity purified antibody was used at 1:1000 (lμg/ml) . For detection of the primary antibody, both Protein A I25i (1 μci/ml) and goat anti-rabbit alkaline phosphatase (1:10,000; Promega) were used sequentially. The immunoreactive bands were identified by the colored alkaline phosphatase reaction product and/or by autoradiography of the 25i-Protein A, and were quantified by 12 5i-protein A counting on a LKB 1272 Clinigamma counter. Experimental and Results: Generation of GLUT4 specific antibodies GLUT4 rabbit polyclonal antibody was produced using a synthetic peptide corresponding to the COOH-terminal 15 amino acid residues of the rat-GLUT4 sequence, i.e., residues 495- 509, [Cys] -Lys-Pro-Ser-Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu-Tyr-Leu-Gly-Pro-Asp-Glu- Asn-Asp (SEQ ID NO: 9) . The antibody specificity for GLUT4 was enhanced by absorbing the polyclonal sera with 3 peptides (Lys- Pro-Ser-Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu-[Cys] (SEQ ID NO: 10); Thr-Glu-Leu-Glu- Tyr-Leu- [Cys] (SEQ ID NO: 11); [Cys] -Gly-Pro-Asp-Glu-Asn-Asp (SEQ ID NO: 12) covalently attached to ω-aminohexyl Sepharose 4B using the heterobifunctional reagent sMBS. The nonabsorbed GLUT4 specific antibody was purified on a 495-509 peptide column and then on Protein-A Sepharose. The resulting highly purified and specific GLUT4 antibody was used for Western blotting at a 1:5000 dilution (1 μg protein / 5 ml diluent) . Preparation and isolation of rat adioocvtes Epididymal fat pads from 125 g Sprague-Dawley rats were removed and immediately placed in KRBH buffer containing 1% BSA, 2.5mM glucose and 200nM adenosine. The fat was minced, collagenase was added to 3mg/ml, and the mixture was incubated at 37°C for 45 minutes with shaking. The dissociated adipocytes were filtered through a 250 micron nylon screen and washed 3 times (using mild centrifugation) with KRBH containing 1% BSA and 200 nM adenosine. The cells were resuspended in the wash buffer containing 3% BSA. Fractionation of rat adioocvtes The membrane fractions PM, HDM and LDM were prepared generally according to Simpson et . al . , Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 763. 393-407 (1983). Isolated adipocytes were homogenized in a chilled Wheaton 55ml teflon pestle homogenizer for ten strokes. The fat layer was removed following a 10,000Xg centrifugation and the remaining material was rehomogenized. The PM fraction was pelleted at 16,000Xg and the supernatant was recentrifuged to remove any additional PM. The PM were resuspended and rehomogenized then purified away from DNA and mitochondrial organelles by ultracentrifugation through a 1.12M sucrose cushion at 96,000Xg. The PM were collected from the interphase of the sucrose cushion. The HDM were pelleted from the initial supernatant at 48,000Xg and the resulting supernatant was recentrifuged to remove any remaining HDM. The LDM were collected on a 1.12M sucrose cushion from the HDM supernatant by centrifugation of at 212,000Xg. The LDM were collected from the sucrose interphase and this step was repeated three times with LDM pooled from additional tubes to concentrate the LDM and to remove any contaminating cytosolic proteins. Immunopurification of the GLUT4 vesicles Purified GLUT4 specific antibody prepared as above was biotinylated using NHS-biotin in 50mM NaHC0 3 , pH 8.2, for 30 minutes at room temperature. Following dialysis against 20mM Tris, ImM EDTA, pH 8.0, the active biotinylated antibody was recovered by affinity purification on [Cys] -Lys-Pro-Ser-Thr- Glu-Leu-Glu-Tyr-Leu-Gly-Pro-Asp-Glu-Asn-Asp (SEQ ID NO: 9)) covalently bound to aminohexyl-Sepharose CL-4B as described above. Immobilon Affinity Membranes (IAV, 1 cm 2 ) were saturated for 6 hours at room temperature and then overnight at 4°C with 500μg of streptavidin in 0.5M KH P0 4 , pH 7.5. Residual sites were capped with 0.44M glutamic acid (6 hours, room temperature) and the membranes were washed. Biotinylated anti- GLUT4 antibody (50μg/cm ) described above was added in 100 mM boric acid, 150 mM NaCl, ImM EDTA, pH 7.5, and contact was maintained for 6 hours at room temperature. The resulting antibody-derivitized IAV matrix was washed 3 times (20 minutes/wash) in TBS, 0.1% Tween-20, and then transferred into TES. Control IAV matrix was prepared with streptavidin and capped with glutamic acid. LDM were added to the GLUT4 or control IAV matrices. Typically, the LDM's from 2.4 rats were added to each 1 cm 2 of matrix, and incubated overnight at 4°C in TES containing 150 mM NaCl, and subsequently washed 3X in the same buffer. Unbound vesicles were recovered by centrifugation at 212,000xg. Bound vesicular protein was recovered by eluting the matrices with 1.0% SDS in lOmM Tris-HCL, pH 7.4, or in 0.1% Triton X-100 in 20mM Tris, ImM EDTA, pH 7.4. GLUT4 vesicle proteins were frozen in liquid N 2 and stored at -80°C until further use. For protein analysis, equal volumes of purified GLUT4 vesicles and controls, along with equal protein loads of recovered unbound LDM vesicles were lyophilized and loaded onto 4-20% SDS-PAGE gels, transferred to PVDF membranes, and stained with Coomassie Blue R-250. A protein having a molecular weight of approximately 165kD was characterized as being specific to the GLUT4 vesicles and was partially to fully depleted from the unbound fraction. Fig. 1 shows qualitatively by Western Blot autoradiography that the immunoaffinity absorption using GLUT4 antibody- derivitized IAV matrix results in a significant enrichment of GLUT4 vesicles compared to IAV matrix lacking the GLUT4 antibody. Quantitation of the 12 5i Protein A indicated an 8- fold enrichment of GLUT4 in the immunoaffinity-purified vesicles. The immunoaffinity-purified GLUT4 vesicle proteins can be solubilized using 0.1% Triton X-100 or low concentrations (<1%) of SDS, leaving the antibody attached to the covalently bound streptavidin, to yield a protein composition much simpler than the total LDM fraction. Fig. 2 shows that Coomassie blue staining of the GLUT4 vesicle-associated proteins following SDS-PAGE reveals 165kD and 155kD proteins which are uniquely associated with GLUT4 vesicles and which are not found in proteins absorbed onto the IAV matrix lacking the GLUT4 antibodies. Both the 165kD and 155kD proteins are depleted from the LDM following adsorption with GLUT4 IAV matrix, but are not depleted after adsorption on the control matrix. Purification and sequence analysis of 165kD and 155kD proteins GLUT4 vesicle proteins were electrophoretically separated on 20cm, 7-15% acrylamide, SDS-PAGE gels and transferred to Problot membranes. The 165kD and 155kD proteins were identified by Coomassie blue staining. Initial attempts at direct NH terminal sequencing from the Problot membrane indicated that the NH -terminus was blocked. In subsequent experiments the 165kD and 155kD proteins were separated and identified as above, and were then digested with trypsin (30:1; substrate/enzyme) according to Fernandez et al. , Analyt. Biochem., 201. 255-264 (1992). The resulting peptide products were separated on a Supelcosil LC-18-DB, 3μm, 2.1X250mm column using a 3-hour linear gradient of 0.1% TFA to 0.1%TFA, 70% acetonitrile. The effluent was monitored at 215nm and selected peaks were subjected to sequencing using an ABI 477a Protein Sequencer operated in the gas phase with an on-line 120A Analyzer and PE Nelson Turbochrome Software. Fig. 3 shows HPLC separations of the tryptic fragments and indicates significant similarity between the two proteins. Selected peptides of moderate hydrophobicity and strong UV absorbance were sequenced. The sequences obtained are shown in Table 1. Both peptides were sequenced from the 165kD and 155kD forms and were identical, constituting further evidence of the similarity between these two proteins. Identification of GLUT4 vesicle protein 165kPa a_§—a aminopeptidase The primary sequence obtained was used to search DNA databases including GenBank, EMBL, Nucleic, and GeneSeq, and the Protein databases PIR, PatchX, and SwissProt. One peptide was found to have 100% homology with a tryptic fragment of a serum aminopeptidase of placental origin in the GeneSeq database. See Table 1. Table 1 Summary of Sequence Data for GTVap-165 and GTVap-155 Underlined residues of fragment #1 were used to produce high titered rabbit polyclonal antisera . Underlined residues of fragment #2 had 100% homology with a previously identified placental leucine aminopeptidase ( PLAP) . ♦ Designates same sequence found in both GTVap-165 and GTVap-155 Residues in lower case letters denote less than full confidence , and are assigned the designation Xaa in the claims . The peptide Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln-Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala- [Cys ] (SEQ ID NO : 8 ) was used to produce rabbit polyclonal antibodies which were subsequently af finity purif ied as described above . These antibodies are referred to as GTVapl and were used at a 1 : 500 dilution for Western blot analysis . Fig . 4 shows the affinity purified GTVapl antibodies in Western blot analysis are specific for the 165kD and 155kD proteins on the GLUT4 vesicles and also react with a 120kD protein which is less abundant than the former two . Relative to the controls , the purified GLUT4 vesicles are significantly enriched in the immunoreactive 165kD and 155kD proteins , as measured by Western blot . Quantitation of the 12 5ι Protein A indicated an 18-fold enrichment of the 165kD and 155kD proteins on the immunoaf finity-purif ied vesicles . In order to show identity of the 165kD and 155kD proteins following removal of the oligosaccharide side chains, LDM was treated with N-glycosidase F. Purified LDM was solubilized in 0.5% SDS and then buffered in 25mM Hepes, lOmM EDTA, 1.7% β- octylglucoside, pH 7.5 before being digested with 1 unit of N-Glycosidase F (PNGase F) per sample for 12 or 24 hours at 37°C. Controls (samples lacking the glycosidase) were included for each condition. Fig. 5 indicates that treatment of LDM with N-glycosidase F results in the conversion of both the 165kD and 155kD immunoreactive proteins to a single immunoreactive protein of HOkD. It is therefore likely that both forms are identical at the protein level with differences existing in the number and/or length of oligosaccharide side chains of the glycosylated 165kD and 155kD forms. The 165kD and 155kD proteins have sequence homology to a previously identified aminopeptidase. and GLUT4 vesicles are enrjςhed in aminopeptidase activity As indicated in Table 1, the peptide sequence of fragment #2 had 100% homology with a previously reported plasma aminopeptidase of placental origin (Tsujimoto et al. EPA Pub. # EP 0 535 241 Al) . The synthetic substrate leucine p-nitroanilide was used to confirm that aminopeptidase activity was co-purified with GLUT4 vesicles. Immunoaffinity purified GLUT4 vesicles or vesicles bound non-specifically to the control IAV membranes were extracted with 20mM Tris, 0.1% Triton X-100, pH 7.5. Equal volumes of extract from the two matrices were assayed for aminopeptidase activity using 1.6 mM leu-p-nitroanilide. The results, shown in Fig. 6, indicate that GLUT4 vesicles contain 5-fold more aminopeptidase activity that the control IAV matrix. Therefore, aminopeptidase activity co-purifies with GLUT4 vesicles. Throughout this application the term G_lucose Transporter Yesicle a,minop_eptidase or GTVap is used to designate the aminopeptidases associated with GLUT4 vesicles. Identification of GTVaps in PM and HDM membranes As shown in Fig. 7, the GTVaps are also found in PM and HDM fractions by Western blot analysis using the GTVapl antibody. The GTVap-165 and GTVap-155 are the predominant forms in the HDM and LDM, whereas in the PM these GTVap's are much less abundant. General methods for the extraction of and assay of GTVaps from PM. LDM. and HDM membranes The GTVaps can be maximally extracted (>95%) from the LDM, HDM, and PM membranous compartments using low concentrations of detergents. Unless otherwise indicated, the GTVaps were solubilized from GLUT4 vesicles, LDM, HDM, and PM using 0.1% Triton X-100 in 20mM Tris, pH 7.5 at 4 °C for 15 minutes. The insoluble material was pelleted at 20,000 X g for 20 minutes and discarded. The enzyme extract (10-20μg protein) was assayed using 1.6 mM leucine p-nitroanilide in 20mM Tris-HCl, 0.1% Triton X-100, pH 7.5 in 250μl volume at 37 °C. The UV absorbance of the p-nitroanilide product was measured at 405nm and quantified by comparison to p-nitroanilide standards . The results are reported as pmoles p-nitroanilide produced per μg protein/hour at 37°C unless otherwise noted. Alternatively, the results are presented as change in OD at 405 nm if the protein was too low to determine (eg column fractions) or a relative comparison was being made. As shown in Fig. 8, the PM, LDM, and HDM contain GTVap activity. Although the GLUT4 vesicles were shown initially to have aminopeptidase activity, it was necessary to confirm that the 165kD and 155kD proteins were indeed the aminopeptidases. Due to the limited amount of protein obtainable from the purified GLUT4 vesicles or LDM, it was necessary to characterize and purify the enzyme from the HDM. Characterization of the activity of the GTVap enzvme To characterize the relative reactivities of GTVap to different amino acid p-nitroanilide substrates, an HDM extract was prepared as described above and incubated with each substrate at a concentration of 1.6mM as described above. As shown in Table 2, the relative activity of GTVap to the synthetic amino acid p-nitroanilide substrates are leucine»proline, alanine> valine, glycine. To characterize the relative reactivities of GTVap to different amino acid β-napthylamide substrates, a GLUT4 vesicle extract was prepared as described above and incubated with each substrate at a concentration of 200uM as described above. As shown in Table 2A, the relative activity of GTVap to the synthetic amino acid-β-napthylamide substrates are leucine > lysine > arginine > methionine > alanine > phenylalanine. To determine the optimal pH of the GTVap activity, an HDM extract was prepared as above and was diluted 1:9 into lOOmM Tris base, 0.1% Triton X-100 which had been previously adjusted to the indicated pH values with HCl. Following incubation for 15 minutes, the leucine p-nitroanilide substrate was added and the enzyme activity determined as above. The results shown in Fig 9. indicate that the enzyme has a broad neutral pH optimum. Table 2 Relative activity g GTVap with various amino aci -p- nitroanilide substrates Amino acid-p-nitypa jlifle nmoles/μo protein/hr leucine 2.9 proline 0.35 alanine 0.33 valine 0.09 glycine 0.08 Table 2A To determine the temperature stability of GTVap, HDM extracts were incubated at various temperatures for 20 minutes prior to enzyme analysis as described above. The results shown in Fig. 10 indicate a temperature-dependent inactivation with a 25% reduction in activity between 20°C and 40°C . Between 40 C C and 50°C there is a further major drop in activity, resulting in a 75% inhibition compared to the 20°C incubation. The known aminopeptidases require bound ions for the optimal stabilization of structure and for maximal enzymatic activity. To explore the ion requirements for GTVap, Triton X- 100 extracts of HDM were incubated with various ions for 15 minutes at 37 °C before the addition of the leu-p-nitroanilide substrate. The results, shown in Fig. 11, demonstrate that particular ions can both activate and inhibit the enzyme activity. It is also evident that the enzyme has significant activity (approx. 55% of maximal activity) without the addition of divalent cations. Zinc, cobalt and manganese optimally activate at μmolar concentrations and inhibit at mmolar concentrations. Calcium and magnesium also partially activate, but at high μmolar to mmolar ion concentrations. The ions of lithium and potassium have no effect on enzyme activity between lμM and lOmM. It was evident during the initial investigations of GTVap that the Triton X-100 extracts lose enzyme activity over time at 4 °C. An attempt was made to stabilize enzyme activity by adding specific ions that were previously shown to activate the enzyme. Immediately following the routine extraction of HDM the extract was diluted into 20mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5 containing the ions or DTT at concentrations that were previously shown to enhance enzyme activity. After various times at 4°C aliquots were removed and GTVap activity determined. The results, shown in Fig. 12, indicate that calcium stabilizes the enzyme activity against the time dependent inactivation. Zinc, cobalt and manganese, which were previously shown to increase activity, do not stabilize the enzyme. A number of protease inhibitors were studied to examine their inhibitory effects on GTVap. The methods of enzyme determination have been described above with the exception that various concentrations of the inhibitors were added to HDM enzyme extracts 15 minutes prior to the addition of leu-p- nitroanilide substrate. The data is presented relative to the inhibitor-free control which has 100% activity. The following inhibitors, with the maximal concentration tested being shown in parentheses, had no effect on GTVap activity using the leucine-p-nitroanilide substrate: diisopropylfluorophophate (5mM) , PMSF (ImM) , benzamidine (lOmM) , leupeptin (5mM) , EDTA (5mM) . Two zinc chelators, phenanthroline and dipyridyl, were found to be >98% inhibitory at >0.2mM, as shown in Fig. 13. Leu-Leu-Phe-chloromethyl ketone (LLPAC) , a known inhibitor of calpain, has an GTVap IC 50 of ImM. Dithiothreitol (DTT) has a 30% inhibition at 5 mM but increases enzyme activity 20% at 0.2mM. A number of previously identified aminopeptidase inhibitors were tested on GTVap. The most effective inhibitor was leuthiol with an IC 50 of 2μM. Amastatin had an IC 50 of 0.35 mM and bestatin and actinonin had ICso's of >lmM, as shown in Fig 14. Purification of GTVap 165. 155 and 120 from HDM's The strategy for the purification of the GTVap enzymes was formulated based on the relatively rapid time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme. The purification scheme employs two affinity purifications (WGA and IDAC) followed by an anion exchange chromatographic separation. Calcium ions were used to maintain optimal stability whenever possible. Purified HDM at a concentration of lmg/ml was solubilized in 20mM Tris-HCl, 0.1% Triton X-100 containing 2mM CaCl 2 , 150μM PMSF, ImM DFP, ImM benza idine, 2 μM leupeptin, and lμM pepstatin A. This extraction was found to solubilize 96% of the total aminopeptidase activity and 77% of the total protein of HDM fraction. The unsolubilized membrane was pelleted at 48,000Xg for 20 minutes and discarded. The solubilized extract was batch incubated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) -Sepharose. In particular, one ml of packed wheat germ lectin-Sepharose 6MB resin, referred to as WGA, was added per lOmg HDM of protein and rotated overnight at 4°C. The resin was washed with the above buffer without CaCl and eluted with 5.0 ml of 0.5M N- acetylglucosamine. Approximately 93% of the total aminopeptidase activity was bound and could be eluted from the WGA column using 0.5M N-acetylglucosamine. The WGA purified fraction could be applied directly to the anion exchange Resource Q column. Typically, the entire WGA purified fraction was applied to a 1 ml Resource Q anion exchange resin column at 4°C. A linear gradient of 0-0.5 M NaCl in 20mM Tris, 0.1% Triton X-100, pH 7.8 at 4°C was used for elution. All fractions were assayed for aminopeptidase activity and for Western blot reactivity to the GTVapl antibody. As shown by Figs. 15a and 15b, this ion exchange method separates the 120kD immunoreactive protein from the GTVap-155 and GTVap-165kD forms. The Resource Q Western blot profile using GTVapl antibody identification of the 120kD protein and GTVap-155kD and 165kD proteins shows excellent correlation with aminopeptidase activity. The sharp early eluting peak from the Resource Q column is the GTVap-120 with the later-eluting broad peak being first the GTVap-155, followed closely by GTVap-165. Alternatively, the WGA purified fraction also could be applied directly to an iminodiacetic acid column preloaded with zinc. In particular, the WGA purified fraction was immediately passed down a 0.5 ml iminodiacetic acid chelation (IDAC) column previously loaded with lOmM ZnS0 4 in 20mM Tris, 0.1 % Triton X- 100, pH 7.5, according to the manufacturer's recommendation. After the application of WGA eluate, the column was washed with 10 column volumes of 20mM Tris, 0.1% Triton X-100, pH 7.5. The column was then eluted with 10 mM EDTA in 20mM Tris, 0.1% Triton X-100, pH 7.5. Approximately 93% of the aminopeptidase activity was bound to the IDAC and could be eluted with lOmM EDTA. The IDAC flow-through and the IDAC bound fractions were separately chromatographed on a 1 ml Resource Q anion exchange resin as described above. The results, shown in Fig 16, demonstrate that the zinc-loaded IDAC column binds all of the GTVap-120, whereas most of the GTVap-155 and GTVap-165 flow through. This observation is confirmed by Western blot analysis of these fractions (data not shown) . Since binding to zinc likely involves the coordination of protein histidyl residues with the bound zinc ions, it may be that the more heavily glycosylated GTVap's may be sterically hindered from binding to immobilized zinc. The fraction of the GTVap-155 and GTVap-165 that does bind to the zinc columns might be dimerized with GTVap-120 and may not interact directly with the zinc. Previous biophysical studies on other aminopeptidase suggest that these enzymes may exist as dimers. In summary, the GTVap-120, GTVap-155, and GTVap-165 are enzymatically active, all react with the GTVapl antibody and can be enriched and separated by the purification scheme described above. GTVap translocates to the plasma membrane in response to insulin GLUT4 is known to translocate from an intracellular vesicular compartment to the plasma membrane upon insulin stimulation. In order to determine if GTVap also translocates, adipocytes dissociated from rat epididymal fat pads prepared as described above were stimulated with insulin. Insulin (lOnM) was added to freshly prepared adipocytes which were maintained for 20 minutes at 37°C. The adipocytes were then washed in TES buffer. The insulin stimulated and control adipocytes were fractionated into the subcellular compartments and analyzed for GTVap enzyme and protein (Western blot) as previously described. Fig. 17 indicates that GTVap translocates to the plasma membrane in response to insulin stimulation as evidenced by increased Western blot reactivity. Fig. 18 indicates that GTVap enzyme activity increases 29% in the plasma membrane following insulin stimulation. GTVap cleavage of insulin and synthetic peptide substrates HDM (1.8 mg/ml) was incubated at 37 °C with 120 μg/ml porcine insulin in 50mM sodium borate, pH 7.5, containing the following protease inhibitors that were previously shown to have no inhibitory effect on GTVap: 2mM benzamidine, 2μM leupeptin, lμM pepstatin, ImM DFP, and 150μM PMSF. The reaction was terminated after various incubation times by centrifugation of aliquots at 200,000Xg to remove the HDM. The insulin products were detected by mass spectrometry or were first chromatographed on a 2.1X15 cm Beckman Spherisorb C18 column at 0.25 ml/min. in a 4 hour linear gradient of 27% to 31% acetonitrile in 1% TFA adjusted to pH 3.0 with TEA, prior to mass spectroscopic analysis. Using this method both intact and Triton X-100 extracted HDM were shown to have aminopeptidase activity towards insulin. As shown in Fig. 19a, b, and c, mass spectroscopic analysis indicated that the N-terminal residues phenylalanine and valine of the B-subunit of insulin were removed sequentially from the intact insulin molecule. Identification of a nucleic acid sequence encoding GTVap A set of two degenerate oligonucleotide pools were obtained, one of which encoded the first 7 amino acids of the peptide and the other of which encoded the reverse complement of the last 7 amino acids. These oligonucleotide pools were used to perform polymerase chain reaction with AmpliTaq DNA polymerase on rat skeletal muscle cDNA generated from rat skeletal muscle polyA÷ RNA using the 3' RACE kit, or by reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction using retrotherm DNA polymerase on rat skeletal muscle polyA+ RNA. From these reactions short regions of unambiguous DNA sequence were obtained which encoded the peptides on which the oligonucleotides were based. Using these unambiguous nucleic acids labelled with 32p as probes, a lambda gtll rat skeletal muscle cDNA library was screened and 25 clones encoding GTVap were identified. Three of these, identified as 5.3, 10.1, and 12.1, were sequenced with the final sequence based on the sequence of clone 12.1 as both clones 5.3 and 10.1 contained introns. Based on nucleic acid sequence near the 5' and 3' ends of clone 12.1, additional oligonuceotide probes were designed to perform 3' and 5' RACE using the Marathon RACE kit. Seven reaction products were identified at the 3 ' end, and two of these, identified as KC44 and KC45, were sequenced to obtain the 3' end of the cDNA described in FIG 20 (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16) Two reaction products were identified by the 5' Marathon RACE reaction and complete sequence was obtained for clone 334 and partial sequence for clone 331. An additional 5' Marathon RACE reaction was performed based on nucleic acid sequence near the 5' end of clone 334 and using the RACE product from the primary 5' Marathon RACE reaction as template. This resulted in seven additional clones of which three clones, identified as clones 2, 3 and 5, were sequenced. Taken together, these sequences make up the entire nucleic acid sequence of FIG 20 (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16) . Sequencing of all clones was performed using Sequenase with the exception of clone 334 which was sequenced by LARK Sequencing Technologies, Houston, TX. Sequence was assembled using Assemblylign (Laboratory Research Products, Eastman Kodak Company, New Haven, CT) and the Wisconsin Package (Genetics Computer Group, Madison, WI.) The initiation codon was identified using the first ATG in the nucleic acid sequence which will allow for initiation of translation [Kozak, J. Cell Biol., 108, 229-241 (1989)] . The long version of mature protein (SEQ ID NO 15) contains 1026 amino acids and has a predicted molecular weight of 117239. The nucleic acid sequence shows a high degree of similarity with several unidentified expressed sequence tags including accession numbers R47032 and H08895. R47032, which was isolated from rat incisor non-calcified tissue, is identical to GTVap over 90 nucleotides, then diverges at both ends. This is likely to encode either an unspliced or alternately spliced form of GTVap. H08895, which was isolated from human brain, is 88.5% identical to GTVap over 382 nucleotides, the full length of this expressed sequence tag. It is likely that H08895 encodes a part of the human GTVap. The predicted protein is 32.5% identical to rat aminopeptidase N and shows >20% identity to other aminopeptidases. This level of protein identity corresponds to nucleic acid identities of 50% to 60% over more than 1000 nucleotides. Identification of a Consensus Sequence for an Insulin-sensitive Retention Sequence Since GTVap and GLUT4 are found in the GLUT4 vesicle and respond to insulin as evidenced by their simultaneous translocation to the plasma membrane, it was considered conceivable that both proteins share a common structural motif (retention sequence) . The structural motif that confers this property to these proteins is likely to be found on other proteins that translocate in an insulin-sensitive manner. In an attempt to identify an insulin-sensitive retention sequence, the predicted protein sequence of GTVap was compared to the protein sequences of the cytoplasmic domains of GLUT4 using the Wisconsin Package computer program (Genetics Computer Group, Madison, WI) . Significant homology was evident in two adjacent segments of the cytoplasmic domain of GTVap (SEQ ID NOs 17 and 18) and with the inverted (reading C - N) cytoplasmic domain of GLUT4 (SEQ ID NO 19) . This consensus sequence is shown by the sequence identified as SEQ ID NOs 20 and 21. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. SEQUENCE LISTING (1) GENERAL INFORMATION (i) APPLICANT: Knowles, W. J.; Guralski, D. ; Haigh, W. ; Letsinger, J. T.; Clairmont, K. ; and Hart, J. (ii) TITLE OF INVENTION: Glucose Transporter Vesicle Aminopeptidase (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 21 (iv) CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS: (A) ADDRESSEE: Pamela A. Simonton, c/o Bayer Corporation (B) STREET: 400 Morgan Lane (C) CITY: West Haven (D) STATE: Connecticut (E) COUNTRY: U.S.A. (F) ZIP: 06516 (v) COMPUTER READABLE FORM: (A) MEDIUM TYPE: Diskette, 3.5 inch, 1,300 Kb storage (B) COMPUTER: Apple Macintosh (C) OPERATING SYSTEM: Macintosh System 7.1 (D) SOFTWARE: Word Perfect 3.0a (vi) CURRENT APPLICATION DATA: (A) APPLICATION NUMBER: (B) FILING DATE: 09/19/95 (C) CLASSIFICATION: preliminary class 435 (vii) PRIOR APPLICATION DATE DATA: (A) APPLICATION NUMBER: 08/309,232 (B) FILING DATE: 09/20/94 (C) CLASSIFICATION: preliminary class 435 (viii) ATTORNEY/AGENT INFORMATION: (A) NAME: William F. Gray (B) REGISTRATION NUMBER: 31018 (C) REFERENCE/DOCKET NUMBER: MWH 323P1 (ix) TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION: (A) TELEPHONE: (203) 937-2712 (B) TELEFAX: (203) 931-5492 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: eleven amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein fragment (A) Description: tryptic digest polypeptide from full length protein (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: internal fragment (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: affinity purified protein from- (A) ORGANISM:Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAIN:Sprague-Dawley (F) TISSUE TYPE: adipose (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: GTVap fragment p94 (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: protein sequencing (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 1: Phe Ala Ala Thr Gin Phe Glu Pro Leu Ala Ala 5 10 (3) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: nineteen amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein fragment (A) Description: tryptic digest polypeptide from full length protein (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: internal fragment (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: affinity purified protein from- (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAIN: Sprague-Dawley (F) TISSUE TYPE: adipose (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: GTVap fragment p85 (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: protein sequencing (D) OTHER INFORMATION: GeneSeq patent database partial match (accession # GSP:R28142; EP 0 535 241 Al) identified as leucine aminopeptidase from placental origin (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 2: lie Leu Gin Asn Gin lie Gin Gin Gin Thr Arg Thr Asp Glu Gly Xaa 5 10 15 Pro Xaa Met (4) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 33 nucleotides (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Other nucleic Acid: synthetic oligonucleotide probe based on peptide sequence (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (iv) ANTI-SENSE: no (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 3: TTYGCNGCNA CNCARTTYGA RCCNYTNGCN GCN 33 (5) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 33 nucleotides (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Other nucleic Acid: synthetic oligonucleotide probe based on peptide sequence (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (iv) ANTI-SENSE: yes (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 4: NGCNGCNARN GGYTCRAAYT GNGTNGCNGC RAA 33 (6) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: fifteen amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein fragment (A) Description: tryptic digest polypeptide from full length protein (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: internal fragment (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAIN: Sprague-Dawley (F) TISSUE TYPE: adipose (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: GTVap fragment p85 (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: protein sequencing (D) OTHER INFORMATION: positively identified amino acids in GTVap protein sequence; used for the design of oligonucleotide probes (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 5: lie Leu Gin Asn Gin lie Gin Gin Gin Thr Arg Thr Asp Glu Gly 5 10 15 (7) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 6: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 45 nucleotides (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Other nucleic Acid: synthetic oligonucleotide probe based on peptide sequence (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (iv) ANTI-SENSE: no (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 6: ATHYTNCARA AYCARATHCA RCARCARACN MGNACNGAYG ARGGN 45 (8) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 7: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 45 nucleotides (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: Other nucleic Acid: synthetic oligonucleotide probe based on peptide sequence (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (iv) ANTI-SENSE: yes (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 7: NCCYTCRTCN GTNCKNGTYT GYTGYTGDAT YTGRTTYTGN ARDAT 45 (9) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 8: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: twelve amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: synthetic peptide (A) Description: synthetic peptide designed from GTVap p94 fragment and modified with a carboxyl terminal cysteine (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 8: Phe Ala Ala Thr Gin Phe Glu Pro Leu Ala Ala (Cys) 5 10 (10) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 9: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: sixteen amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: synthetic peptide (A) Description: synthetic peptide designed from GLUT4 protein sequence amino acids 495-509 and modified with an amino terminal cysteine (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 9: (Cys) Lys Pro Ser Thr Glu Leu Glu Tyr Leu Gly Pro Asp Glu Asn Asp 5 10 15 (11) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 10: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: eight amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: synthetic peptide (A) Description: synthetic peptide designed from GLUT4 protein sequence amino acids 495-501 and modified with a carboxyl terminal cysteine (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 10: Lys Pro Ser Thr Glu Leu Glu (Cys) 5 (12) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 11: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: seven amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: synthetic peptide (A) Description: synthetic peptide designed from GLUT4 protein sequence amino acids 498-503 and modified with a carboxyl terminal cysteine (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 11: Thr Glu Leu Glu Tyr Leu (Cys) 5 (13) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 12: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: seven amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: synthetic peptide (A) Description: synthetic peptide designed from GLUT4 protein sequence amino acids 504-509 and modified with an amino terminal cysteine (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 12: (Cys) Gly Pro Asp Glu Asn Asp 5 (14) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 13: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: twelve amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein fragment (A) Description: tryptic digest polypeptide from full length protein (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: internal fragment (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAI : Sprague-Dawley (F) TISSUE TYPE: adipose (ix) FEATURE: (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: protein sequencing (D) OTHER INFORMATION: GTVapl peptide sequence including residues assigned with less than full confidence (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 13: Phe Ala Ala Thr Gin Phe Glu Pro Leu Ala Ala arg* 5 10 (15) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 14: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: nineteen amino acids (B) TYPE: peptide (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein fragment (A) Description: tryptic digest polypeptide from full length protein (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: internal fragment (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAI : Sprague-Dawley (F) TISSUE TYPE: adipose (ix) FEATURE: (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: protein sequencing (D) OTHER INFORMATION: GTVap2 sequence including residues assigned with less than full confidence; see OTHER INFORMATION on SEQ ID NO: 2 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 14: He Leu Gin Asn Gin He Gin Gin Gin Thr Arg Thr Asp Glu Gly thr 5 10 15 Pro asn Met (16) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 15: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 3388 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA; (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAIN: Sprague-Dawley (D) DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE: adult (F) TISSUE TYPE: skeletal muscle (vii) IMMEDIATE SOURCE: (A) LIBRARY: Clontech rat skeletal muscle cDNA library in lambda gtll and mRNA isolated from rat skeletal muscle (B) CLONE: 5.3 (from lambda gtll library), PCR product clones 5, 334, and KC44. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: cDNA includes complete coding region for GTVap, long version (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: nucleic acid hybridization (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 15: CTCTCGGAGT AGAAAGCTTG GGGCGCTGGG CTGGTGAGGA CCCGCAGCGG GCGAAG ATG 59 Met 1 GAG ACC TTT ACC AAT GAT CGA CTT CAG CTT CCA AGG AAT ATG ATT GAA 107 Glu Thr Phe Thr Asn Asp Arg Leu Gin Leu Pro Arg Asn Met lie Glu 5 10 15 AAC AGC ATG TTT GAA GAA GAA CCA GAT GTG GTA GAT TTA GCC AAA GAA 155 Asn Ser Met Phe Glu Glu Glu Pro Asp Val Val Asp Leu Ala Lys Glu 20 25 30 CCT TGT TTA CAT CCT CTG GAA CCT GAT GAA GTT GAA TAT GAG CCC CGA 203 Pro Cys Leu His Pro Leu Glu Pro Asp Glu Val Glu Tyr Glu Pro Arg 35 40 45 GGT TCG AGG CTT CTG GTG AGA GGT CTT GGT GAG CAT GAG ATG GAT GAG 251 Gly Ser Arg Leu Leu Val Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu His Glu Met Asp Glu 50 55 60 65 GAT GAA GAG GAT TAT GAG TCA TCT GCC AAG CTG CTG GGC ATG TCC TTC 299 Asp Glu Glu Asp Tyr Glu Ser Ser Ala Lys Leu Leu Gly Met Ser Phe 70 75 80 ATG AAC AGA AGC TCA GGC CTT CGG AAC AGT GCA ACA GGC TAC AGG CAG 347 Met Asn Arg Ser Ser Gly Leu Arg Asn Ser Ala Thr Gly Tyr Arg Gin 85 90 95 AGT CCA GAT GGG ACT TGT TCA GTA CCC TCT GCC AGG ACC TTA GTA ATC 395 Ser Pro Asp Gly Thr Cys Ser Val Pro Ser Ala Arg Thr Leu Val lie 100 105 110 TGT GTT TTT GTC ATT GTG GTT GCT GTC TCT GTA ATC ATG GTG ATT TAT 443 Cys Val Phe Val lie Val Val Ala Val Ser Val He Met Val He Tyr 115 120 125 CTA CTG CCT AGA TGT ACC TTT ACC AAA GAA GGC TGC CAC AAA ACA AAC 491 Leu Leu Pro Arg Cys Thr Phe Thr Lys Glu Gly Cys His Lys Thr Asn 130 135 140 145 CAG TCA GCA GAA CTC ATT CAG CCG ATT GCT ACA AAC GGG AAA GTG TTT 539 Gin Ser Ala Glu Leu He Gin Pro He Ala Thr Asn Gly Lys Val Phe 150 155 160 CCA TGG GCA CAA ATT AGG CTT CCC ACT GCC ATT ATT CCT CAA CGC TAT 587 Pro Trp Ala Gin He Arg Leu Pro Thr Ala He He Pro Gin Arg Tyr 165 170 175 GAA CTT AGC CTA CAT CCA AAC CTA ACC TCA ATG ACA TTC AGG GGT TCT 635 Glu Leu Ser Leu His Pro Asn Leu Thr Ser Met Thr Phe Arg Gly Ser 180 185 190 GTG ACA ATT TCA CTT CAG GCT CTT CAA GAT ACA CGG GAC ATC ATT CTC 683 Val Thr He Ser Leu Gin Ala Leu Gin Asp Thr Arg Asp He He Leu 195 200 205 CAT AGC ACA GGA CAT AAT ATT TCA AGT GTG ACA TTT ATG TCG GCG GTT 731 His Ser Thr Gly His Asn He Ser Ser Val Thr Phe Met Ser Ala Val 210 215 220 225 TCC AGT CAA GAA AAA CAA GTT GAA ATT CTG GAA TAT CCA TAT CAT GAA 779 Ser Ser Gin Glu Lys Gin Val Glu He Leu Glu Tyr Pro Tyr His Glu 230 235 240 CAA ATC GCC GTT GTT GCC CCT GAA AGC CTT CTA ACA GGA CAC AAT TAT 827 Gin He Ala Val Val Ala Pro Glu Ser Leu Leu Thr Gly His Asn Tyr 245 250 255 ACC TTG AAG ATA GAA TAT TCA GCA AAT ATA TCT AAC TCT TAC TAT GGG 875 Thr Leu Lys He Glu Tyr Ser Ala Asn He Ser Asn Ser Tyr Tyr Gly 260 265 270 TTT TAT GGC ATC ACC TAC ACA GAT AAA AGT AAT GAG AAA AAG AAC TTT 923 Phe Tyr Gly He Thr Tyr Thr Asp Lys Ser Asn Glu Lys Lys Asn Phe 275 280 285 GCA GCA ACT CAG TTT GAA CCT TTG GCA GCA AGA TCT GCT TTT CCT TGT 971 Ala Ala Thr Gin Phe Glu Pro Leu Ala Ala Arg Ser Ala Phe Pro Cys 290 295 300 305 TTT GAT GAA CCA GCA TTT AAG GCC ACA TTT ATC ATC AAG ATC ACA AGG 1019 Phe Asp Glu Pro Ala Phe Lys Ala Thr Phe He He Lys He Thr Arg 310 315 320 GAT GAG CAC CAT ACT GCA TTA TCA AAT ATG CCT AAG AAG TCA TCA GTC 1067 Asp Glu His His Thr Ala Leu Ser Asn Met Pro Lys Lys Ser Ser Val 325 330 335 CCT ACA GAA GAA GGA CTT ATT CAA GAT GAG TTT TCT GAA AGT GTG AAA 1115 Pro Thr Glu Glu Gly Leu He Gin Asp Glu Phe Ser Glu Ser Val Lys 340 345 350 ATG AGC ACA TAC CTG GTT GCT TTC ATT GTA GGG GAG ATG AGG AAC CTG 1163 Met Ser Thr Tyr Leu Val Ala Phe He Val Gly Glu Met Arg Asn Leu 355 360 365 AGT CAG GAT GTA AAC GGG ACT CTG GTT TCT GTA TAT GCT GTA CCA GAA 1211 Ser Gin Asp Val Asn Gly Thr Leu Val Ser Val Tyr Ala Val Pro Glu 370 375 380 385 AAA ATT GAT CAA GTT TAC CAT GCC TTG GAC ACA ACT GTA AAG CTC CTT 1259 Lys He Asp Gin Val Tyr His Ala Leu Asp Thr Thr Val Lys Leu Leu 390 395 400 GAG TTT TAT CAA AAT TAC TTT GAA ATT CAA TAC CCA CTA AAG AAA TTG 1307 Glu Phe Tyr Gin Asn Tyr Phe Glu He Gin Tyr Pro Leu Lys Lys Leu 405 410 415 GAT CTG GTG GCC ATT CCT GAC TTT GAA GCA GGA GCA ATG GAA AAT TGG 1355 Asp Leu Val Ala He Pro Asp Phe Glu Ala Gly Ala Met Glu Asn Trp 420 425 430 GGC CTG CTT ACG TTC CGA GAA GAG ACT CTT CTG TAT GAC AAT GCC ACT 1403 Gly Leu Leu Thr Phe Arg Glu Glu Thr Leu Leu Tyr Asp Asn Ala Thr 435 440 445 TCT TCA GTA GCA GAT AGA AAA CTG GTC ACT AAA ATC ATC GCT CAC GAG 1451 Ser Ser Val Ala Asp Arg Lys Leu Val Thr Lys He He Ala His Glu 450 455 460 465 CTG GCA CAT CAG TGG TTT GGT AAT CTG GTT ACA ATG CAG TGG TGG AAT 1499 Leu Ala His Gin Trp Phe Gly Asn Leu Val Thr Met Gin Trp Trp Asn 470 475 480 GAC CTG TGG CTA AAC GAA GGC TTT GCC ACT TTC ATG GAG TAT TTC TCT 1547 Asp Leu Trp Leu Asn Glu Gly Phe Ala Thr Phe Met Glu Tyr Phe Ser 485 490 495 GTG GAA AAA ATA TTC AAA GAG CTC AAC AGT TAT GAA GAC TTC TTA GAT 1595 Val Glu Lys He Phe Lys Glu Leu Asn Ser Tyr Glu Asp Phe Leu Asp 500 505 510 GCT CGA TTT AAA ACC ATG AGG AAA GAT TCC TTG AAT TCG TCT CAT CCA 1643 Ala Arg Phe Lys Thr Met Arg Lys Asp Ser Leu Asn Ser Ser His Pro 515 520 525 ATA TCA TCA TCT GTT CAG TCA TCA GAA CAA ATA GAA GAA ATG TTT GAT 1691 He Ser Ser Ser Val Gin Ser Ser Glu Gin He Glu Glu Met Phe Asp 530 535 540 545 TCT CTT TCG TAT TTT AAG CAG GGA GCG TCT CTC TTG TTG ATG TTG AAA 1739 Ser Leu Ser Tyr Phe Lys Gin Gly Ala Ser Leu Leu Leu Met Leu Lys 550 555 560 AGT TAC CTT AGT GAA GAC GTG TTT CAG CAT GCC ATC ATT CTT TAC CTG 1787 Ser Tyr Leu Ser Glu Asp Val Phe Gin His Ala He He Leu Tyr Leu 565 570 575 CAC AAT CAC AGC TAT GCA GCA ATT CAA AGC GAT GAC CTC TGG GAC AGC 1835 His Asn His Ser Tyr Ala Ala He Gin Ser Asp Asp Leu Trp Asp Ser 580 585 590 TTC AAT GAG GTC ACA GGC AAA ACT CTA GAT GTA AAG AAA ATG ATG AAA 1883 Phe Asn Glu Val Thr Gly Lys Thr Leu Asp Val Lys Lys Met Met Lys 595 600 605 ACC TGG ACC CTA CAG AAA GGA TTC CCA TTA GTG ACC GTC CAG AGA AAG 1931 Thr Trp Thr Leu Gin Lys Gly Phe Pro Leu Val Thr Val Gin Arg Lys 610 615 620 625 GGG ACT GAG CTT CTT CTA CAA CAA GAA AGA TTT TTT CCA AGC ATG CAA 1979 Gly Thr Glu Leu Leu Leu Gin Gin Glu Arg Phe Phe Pro Ser Met Gin 630 635 640 CCA GAA ATT CAG GAT TCA GAT ACA AGC CAC CTT TGG CAT ATT CCA ATA 2027 Pro Glu He Gin Asp Ser Asp Thr Ser His Leu Trp His He Pro He 645 650 655 TCC TAT GTC ACT GAT GGA AGA AAC TAT TCA GAA TAT CGA TCA GTT TCA 2075 Ser Tyr Val Thr Asp Gly Arg Asn Tyr Ser Glu Tyr Arg Ser Val Ser 660 665 670 CTA CTG GAC AAG AAA TCA GAT GTC ATC AAT CTT ACA GAA CAA GTA CAA 2123 Leu Leu Asp Lys Lys Ser Asp Val He Asn Leu Thr Glu Gin Val Gin 675 680 685 TGG GTC AAA GTC AAT ACA AAC ATG ACG GGC TAC TAC ATT GTT CAC TAT 2171 Trp Val Lys Val Asn Thr Asn Met Thr Gly Tyr Tyr He Val His Tyr 690 695 700 705 GCT CAT GAT GGC TGG GCA GCT CTA ATC AAC CAG TTA AAA AGA AAT CCC 2219 Ala His Asp Gly Trp Ala Ala Leu He Asn Gin Leu Lys Arg Asn Pro 710 715 720 TAT GTT CTG AGT GAC AAA GAC CGA GCC AAC CTG ATC AAT AAC ATC TTT 2267 Tyr Val Leu Ser Asp Lys Asp Arg Ala Asn Leu He Asn Asn He Phe 725 730 735 GAA CTT GCA GGC CTT GGC AAA GTG CCT CTT CAG ATG GCA TTC GAT TTG 2315 Glu Leu Ala Gly Leu Gly Lys Val Pro Leu Gin Met Ala Phe Asp Leu 740 745 750 ATT GAC TAC CTT AGA AAT GAG ACC CAC ACT GCA CCT ATC ACT GAA GCC 2363 He Asp Tyr Leu Arg Asn Glu Thr His Thr Ala Pro He Thr Glu Ala 755 760 765 CTG TTC CAG ACT GAC CTC ATC TAT AAT CTC CTG GAA AAA CTG GGA CAC 2411 Leu Phe Gin Thr Asp Leu He Tyr Asn Leu Leu Glu Lys Leu Gly His 770 775 780 785 ATG GAC CTG TCC TCA AGA TTA GTG ACC AGA GTA CAT AAA TTG CTC CAG 2459 Met Asp Leu Ser Ser Arg Leu Val Thr Arg Val His Lys Leu Leu Gin 790 795 800 AAC CAA ATC CAG CAG CAG ACA TGG ACA GAT GAA GGC ACA CCA TCC ATG 2507 Asn Gin He Gin Gin Gin Thr Trp Thr Asp Glu Gly Thr Pro Ser Met 805 810 815 CGA GAG CTT CGG TCA GCC TTG CTG GAA TTT GCC TGC GCC CAC AGC CTA 2555 Arg Glu Leu Arg Ser Ala Leu Leu Glu Phe Ala Cys Ala His Ser Leu 820 825 830 GAG AAC TGT ACC ACT ATG GCC ACA AAG CTG TTT GAT GGT TGG ATG GCA 2603 Glu Asn Cys Thr Thr Met Ala Thr Lys Leu Phe Asp Gly Trp Met Ala 835 840 845 TCA AAT GGA ACT CAG AGC CTG CCG ACT GAC GTC ATG ACC ACT GTG TTC 2651 Ser Asn Gly Thr Gin Ser Leu Pro Thr Asp Val Met Thr Thr Val Phe 850 855 860 865 AAA GTT GGA GCA AGA ACC GAG AAA GGC TGG TTG TTC CTC TTT AGC ATG 2699 Lys Val Gly Ala Arg Thr Glu Lys Gly Trp Leu Phe Leu Phe Ser Met 870 875 880 TAC TCC TCC ATG GGC TCT GAA GCA GAG AAG GAT AAA ATA CTT GAA GCC 2747 Tyr Ser Ser Met Gly Ser Glu Ala Glu Lys Asp Lys He Leu Glu Ala 885 890 895 CTG GCC AGC TCA GCG GAT GCA CAT AAA CTT TAC TGG TTA ATG AAA AGT 2795 Leu Ala Ser Ser Ala Asp Ala His Lys Leu Tyr Trp Leu Met Lys Ser 900 905 910 AGC CTT GAT GGT GAT ATC ATT CGG ACA CAG AAG TTG TCA CTT ATC ATT 2843 Ser Leu Asp Gly Asp He He Arg Thr Gin Lys Leu Ser Leu He He 915 920 925 AGA ACA GTG GGC AGA CAG TTT CCT GGA CAT TTG CTG GCA TGG GAT TTT 2891 Arg Thr Val Gly Arg Gin Phe Pro Gly His Leu Leu Ala Trp Asp Phe 930 935 940 945 GTT AAG GAA AAC TGG AAT AAG CTT GTA CAT AAG TTC CAT CTG GGC TCC 2939 Val Lys Glu Asn Trp Asn Lys Leu Val His Lys Phe His Leu Gly Ser 950 955 960 TAT ACC ATT CAA AGC ATT GTT GCT GGA TCT ACT CAC TTA TTT TCA ACG 2987 Tyr Thr He Gin Ser He Val Ala Gly Ser Thr His Leu Phe Ser Thr 965 970 975 AAG ACA CAT TTA TCT GAG GTC CAG GAA TTC TTC GAA AAT CAG TCA GAG 3035 Lys Thr His Leu Ser Glu Val Gin Glu Phe Phe Glu Asn Gin Ser Glu 980 985 990 GCA ACC TTG CAG CTT CGG TGT GTT CAG GAG GCC TTC GAA GTG ATT GAG 3083 Ala Thr Leu Gin Leu Arg Cys Val Gin Glu Ala Phe Glu Val He Glu 995 1000 1005 CTG AAT ATC CAG TGG ATG GCC AGG AAT CTG AAA ACT CTG ACA CTG TGG 3131 Leu Asn He Gin Trp Met Ala Arg Asn Leu Lys Thr Leu Thr Leu Trp 1010 1015 1020 1025 CTG TAGCCCTCAC AGCTGATCTT CCGGTGCCCA TGGCTCTGCT GCTTTTGCAA 3184 Leu AGGTTGAGTG AAGGCCGGCC TGCTACTGAG TTGTTTGCAC TGTTAGGATC TAGTTAGCTC 3244 AGGGCCCAAT TGTATTTTTC ATATCTTTTC TGAAATGTCC TTAGGCGGTA GTTATTTATT 3304 ACAAAATTAT ATTCACCTGT ACGTCAACCA TCTACAATAA CAGTGAAGAC CTGCCCGCGC 3364 GGCCGCTCGA GCCCTATAGT GAGT 3388 (17) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 16: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 3385 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA; (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Rattus norvegicus (B) STRAIN: Sprague-Dawley (D) DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE: adult (F) TISSUE TYPE: skeletal muscle (vii) IMMEDIATE SOURCE: (A) LIBRARY: Clontech rat skeletal muscle cDNA library in lambda gtll and mRNA isolated from rat skeletal muscle (B) CLONE: 12.1 (from lambda gtll library), PCR product clones 5, 334, and KC44. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: cDNA includes complete coding region for GTVap, short version (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: nucleic acid hybridization (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 16: CTCTCGGAGT AGAAAGCTTG GGGCGCTGGG CTGGTGAGGA CCCGCAGCGG GCGAAG ATG 59 Met 1 GAG ACC TTT ACC AAT GAT CGA CTT CAG CTT CCA AGG AAT ATG ATT GAA 107 Glu Thr Phe Thr Asn Asp Arg Leu Gin Leu Pro Arg Asn Met He Glu 5 10 15 AAC AGC ATG TTT GAA GAA GAA CCA GAT GTG GTA GAT TTA GCC AAA GAA 155 Asn Ser Met Phe Glu Glu Glu Pro Asp Val Val Asp Leu Ala Lys Glu 20 25 30 CCT TGT TTA CAT CCT CTG GAA CCT GAT GAA GTT GAA TAT GAG CCC CGA 203 Pro Cys Leu His Pro Leu Glu Pro Asp Glu Val Glu Tyr Glu Pro Arg 35 40 45 GGT TCG AGG CTT CTG GTG AGA GGT CTT GGT GAG CAT GAG ATG GAT GAG 251 Gly Ser Arg Leu Leu Val Arg Gly Leu Gly Glu His Glu Met Asp Glu 50 55 60 65 GAT GAA GAG GAT TAT GAG TCA TCT GCC AAG CTG CTG GGC ATG TCC TTC 299 Asp Glu Glu Asp Tyr Glu Ser Ser Ala Lys Leu Leu Gly Met Ser Phe 70 75 80 ATG AAC AGA AGC TCA GGC CTT CGG AAC AGT GCA ACA GGC TAC AGG CAG 347 Met Asn Arg Ser Ser Gly Leu Arg Asn Ser Ala Thr Gly Tyr Arg Gin 85 90 95 AGT CCA GAT GGG ACT TGT TCA GTA CCC TCT GCC AGG ACC TTA GTA ATC 395 Ser Pro Asp Gly Thr Cys Ser Val Pro Ser Ala Arg Thr Leu Val He 100 105 110 TGT GTT TTT GTC ATT GTG GTT GCT GTC TCT GTA ATC ATG GTG ATT TAT 443 Cys Val Phe Val He Val Val Ala Val Ser Val He Met Val He Tyr 115 120 125 CTA CTG CCT AGA TGT ACC TTT ACC AAA GAA GGC TGC CAC AAA ACA AAC 491 Leu Leu Pro Arg Cys Thr Phe Thr Lys Glu Gly Cys His Lys Thr Asn 130 135 140 145 CAG TCA GCA GAA CTC ATT CAG CCG ATT GCT ACA AAC GGG AAA GTG TTT 539 Gin Ser Ala Glu Leu He Gin Pro He Ala Thr Asn Gly Lys Val Phe 150 155 160 CCA TGG GCA CAA ATT AGG CTT CCC ACT GCC ATT ATT CCT CAA CGC TAT 587 Pro Trp Ala Gin He Arg Leu Pro Thr Ala He He Pro Gin Arg Tyr 165 170 175 GAA CTT AGC CTA CAT CCA AAC CTA ACC TCA ATG ACA TTC AGG GGT TCT 635 Glu Leu Ser Leu His Pro Asn Leu Thr Ser Met Thr Phe Arg Gly Ser 180 185 190 GTG ACA ATT TCA CTT CAG GCT CTT CAA GAT ACA CGG GAC ATC ATT CTC 683 Val Thr He Ser Leu Gin Ala Leu Gin Asp Thr Arg Asp He He Leu 195 200 205 CAT AGC ACA GGA CAT AAT ATT TCA AGT GTG ACA TTT ATG TCG GCG GTT 731 His Ser Thr Gly His Asn He Ser Ser Val Thr Phe Met Ser Ala Val 210 215 220 225 TCC AGT CAA GAA AAA CAA GTT GAA ATT CTG GAA TAT CCA TAT CAT GAA 779 Ser Ser Gin Glu Lys Gin Val Glu He Leu Glu Tyr Pro Tyr His Glu 230 235 240 CAA ATC GCC GTT GTT GCC CCT GAA AGC CTT CTA ACA GGA CAC AAT TAT 827 Gin He Ala Val Val Ala Pro Glu Ser Leu Leu Thr Gly His Asn Tyr 245 250 255 ACC TTG AAG ATA GAA TAT TCA GCA AAT ATA TCT AAC TCT TAC TAT GGG 875 Thr Leu Lys He Glu Tyr Ser Ala Asn He Ser Asn Ser Tyr Tyr Gly 260 265 270 TTT TAT GGC ATC ACC TAC ACA GAT AAA AGT AAT GAG AAA AAG AAC TTT 923 Phe Tyr Gly He Thr Tyr Thr Asp Lys Ser Asn Glu Lys Lys Asn Phe 275 280 285 GCA GCA ACT CAG TTT GAA CCT TTG GCA GCA AGA TCT GCT TTT CCT TGT 971 Ala Ala Thr Gin Phe Glu Pro Leu Ala Ala Arg Ser Ala Phe Pro Cys 290 295 300 305 TTT GAT GAA CCA GCA TTT AAG GCC ACA TTT ATC ATC AAG ATC ACA AGG 1019 Phe Asp Glu Pro Ala Phe Lys Ala Thr Phe He He Lys He Thr Arg 310 315 320 GAT GAG CAC CAT ACT GCA TTA TCA AAT ATG CCT AAG AAG TCA TCA GTC 1067 Asp Glu His His Thr Ala Leu Ser Asn Met Pro Lys Lys Ser Ser Val 325 330 335 CCT ACA GAA GAA GGA CTT ATT CAA GAT GAG TTT TCT GAA AGT GTG AAA 1115 Pro Thr Glu Glu Gly Leu He Gin Asp Glu Phe Ser Glu Ser Val Lys 340 345 350 ATG AGC ACA TAC CTG GTT GCT TTC ATT GTA GGG GAG ATG AGG AAC CTG 1163 Met Ser Thr Tyr Leu Val Ala Phe He Val Gly Glu Met Arg Asn Leu 355 360 365 AGT CAG GAT GTA AAC GGG ACT CTG GTT TCT GTA TAT GCT GTA CCA GAA 1211 Ser Gin Asp Val Asn Gly Thr Leu Val Ser Val Tyr Ala Val Pro Glu 370 375 380 385 AAA ATT GAT CAA GTT TAC CAT GCC TTG GAC ACA ACT GTA AAG CTC CTT 1259 Lys He Asp Gin Val Tyr His Ala Leu Asp Thr Thr Val Lys Leu Leu 390 395 400 GAG TTT TAT CAA AAT TAC TTT GAA ATT CAA TAC CCA CTA AAG AAA TTG 1307 Glu Phe Tyr Gin Asn Tyr Phe Glu He Gin Tyr Pro Leu Lys Lys Leu 405 410 415 GAT CTG GTG GCC ATT CCT GAC TTT GAA GCA GGA GCA ATG GAA AAT TGG 1355 Asp Leu Val Ala He Pro Asp Phe Glu Ala Gly Ala Met Glu Asn Trp 420 425 430 GGC CTG CTT ACG TTC CGA GAA GAG ACT CTT CTG TAT GAC AAT GCC ACT 1403 Gly Leu Leu Thr Phe Arg Glu Glu Thr Leu Leu Tyr Asp Asn Ala Thr 435 440 445 TCT TCA GTA GCA GAT AGA AAA CTG GTC ACT AAA ATC ATC GCT CAC GAG 1451 Ser Ser Val Ala Asp Arg Lys Leu Val Thr Lys He He Ala His Glu 450 455 460 465 CTG GCA CAT CAG TGG TTT GGT AAT CTG GTT ACA ATG CAG TGG TGG AAT 1499 Leu Ala His Gin Trp Phe Gly Asn Leu Val Thr Met Gin Trp Trp Asn 470 475 480 GAC CTG TGG CTA AAC GAA GGC TTT GCC ACT TTC ATG GAG TAT TTC TCT 1547 Asp Leu Trp Leu Asn Glu Gly Phe Ala Thr Phe Met Glu Tyr Phe Ser 485 490 495 GTG GAA AAA ATA TTC AAA GAG CTC AAC AGT TAT GAA GAC TTC TTA GAT 1595 Val Glu Lys He Phe Lys Glu Leu Asn Ser Tyr Glu Asp Phe Leu Asp 500 505 510 GCT CGA TTT AAA ACC ATG AGG AAA GAT TCC TTG AAT TCG TCT CAT CCA 1643 Ala Arg Phe Lys Thr Met Arg Lys Asp Ser Leu Asn Ser Ser His Pro 515 520 525 ATA TCA TCA TCT GTT CAG TCA TCA GAA CAA ATA GAA GAA ATG TTT GAT 1691 He Ser Ser Ser Val Gin Ser Ser Glu Gin He Glu Glu Met Phe Asp 530 535 540 545 TCT CTT TCG TAT TTT AAG GGA GCG TCT CTC TTG TTG ATG TTG AAA AGT 173 Ser Leu Ser Tyr Phe Lys Gly Ala Ser Leu Leu Leu Met Leu Lys Ser 550 555 560 TAC CTT AGT GAA GAC GTG TTT CAG CAT GCC ATC ATT CTT TAC CTG CAC 1787 Tyr Leu Ser Glu Asp Val Phe Gin His Ala He He Leu Tyr Leu His 565 570 575 AAT CAC AGC TAT GCA GCA ATT CAA AGC GAT GAC CTC TGG GAC AGC TTC 1835 Asn His Ser Tyr Ala Ala He Gin Ser Asp Asp Leu Trp Asp Ser Phe 580 585 590 AAT GAG GTC ACA GGC AAA ACT CTA GAT GTA AAG AAA ATG ATG AAA ACC 1883 Asn Glu Val Thr Gly Lys Thr Leu Asp Val Lys Lys Met Met Lys Thr 595 600 605 TGG ACC CTA CAG AAA GGA TTC CCA TTA GTG ACC GTC CAG AGA AAG GGG 1931 Trp Thr Leu Gin Lys Gly Phe Pro Leu Val Thr Val Gin Arg Lys Gly 610 615 620 625 ACT GAG CTT CTT CTA CAA CAA GAA AGA TTT TTT CCA AGC ATG CAA CCA 1979 Thr Glu Leu Leu Leu Gin Gin Glu Arg Phe Phe Pro Ser Met Gin Pro 630 635 ' 640 GAA ATT CAG GAT TCA GAT ACA AGC CAC CTT TGG CAT ATT CCA ATA TCC 2027 Glu He Gin Asp Ser Asp Thr Ser His Leu Trp His He Pro He Ser 645 650 655 TAT GTC ACT GAT GGA AGA AAC TAT TCA GAA TAT CGA TCA GTT TCA CTA 2075 Tyr Val Thr Asp Gly Arg Asn Tyr Ser Glu Tyr Arg Ser Val Ser Leu 660 665 670 CTG GAC AAG AAA TCA GAT GTC ATC AAT CTT ACA GAA CAA GTA CAA TGG 2123 Leu Asp Lys Lys Ser Asp Val He Asn Leu Thr Glu Gin Val Gin Trp 675 680 685 GTC AAA GTC AAT ACA AAC ATG ACG GGC TAC TAC ATT GTT CAC TAT GCT 2171 Val Lys Val Asn Thr Asn Met Thr Gly Tyr Tyr He Val His Tyr Ala 690 695 700 705 CAT GAT GGC TGG GCA GCT CTA ATC AAC CAG TTA AAA AGA AAT CCC TAT 2219 His Asp Gly Trp Ala Ala Leu He Asn Gin Leu Lys Arg Asn Pro Tyr 710 715 720 GTT CTG AGT GAC AAA GAC CGA GCC AAC CTG ATC AAT AAC ATC TTT GAA 2267 Val Leu Ser Asp Lys Asp Arg Ala Asn Leu He Asn Asn He Phe Glu 725 730 735 CTT GCA GGC CTT GGC AAA GTG CCT CTT CAG ATG GCA TTC GAT TTG ATT 2315 Leu Ala Gly Leu Gly Lys Val Pro Leu Gin Met Ala Phe Asp Leu He 740 745 750 GAC TAC CTT AGA AAT GAG ACC CAC ACT GCA CCT ATC ACT GAA GCC CTG 2363 Asp Tyr Leu Arg Asn Glu Thr His Thr Ala Pro He Thr Glu Ala Leu 755 760 765 TTC CAG ACT GAC CTC ATC TAT AAT CTC CTG GAA AAA CTG GGA CAC ATG 2411 Phe Gin Thr Asp Leu He Tyr Asn Leu Leu Glu Lys Leu Gly His Met 770 775 780 785 GAC CTG TCC TCA AGA TTA GTG ACC AGA GTA CAT AAA TTG CTC CAG AAC 2459 Asp Leu Ser Ser Arg Leu Val Thr Arg Val His Lys Leu Leu Gin Asn 790 795 800 CAA ATC CAG CAG CAG ACA TGG ACA GAT GAA GGC ACA CCA TCC ATG CGA 2507 Gin He Gin Gin Gin Thr Trp Thr Asp Glu Gly Thr Pro Ser Met Arg 805 810 815 GAG CTT CGG TCA GCC TTG CTG GAA TTT GCC TGC GCC CAC AGC CTA GAG 2555 Glu Leu Arg Ser Ala Leu Leu Glu Phe Ala Cys Ala His Ser Leu Glu 820 825 830 AAC TGT ACC ACT ATG GCC ACA AAG CTG TTT GAT GGT TGG ATG GCA TCA 2603 Asn Cys Thr Thr Met Ala Thr Lys Leu Phe Asp Gly Trp Met Ala Ser 835 840 845 AAT GGA ACT CAG AGC CTG CCG ACT GAC GTC ATG ACC ACT GTG TTC AAA 2651 Asn Gly Thr Gin Ser Leu Pro Thr Asp Val Met Thr Thr Val Phe Lys 850 855 860 865 GTT GGA GCA AGA ACC GAG AAA GGC TGG TTG TTC CTC TTT AGC ATG TAC 2699 Val Gly Ala Arg Thr Glu Lys Gly Trp Leu Phe Leu Phe Ser Met Tyr 870 875 880 TCC TCC ATG GGC TCT GAA GCA GAG AAG GAT AAA ATA CTT GAA GCC CTG 2747 Ser Ser Met Gly Ser Glu Ala Glu Lys Asp Lys He Leu Glu Ala Leu 885 890 895 GCC AGC TCA GCG GAT GCA CAT AAA CTT TAC TGG TTA ATG AAA AGT AGC 2795 Ala Ser Ser Ala Asp Ala His Lys Leu Tyr Trp Leu Met Lys Ser Ser 900 905 910 CTT GAT GGT GAT ATC ATT CGG ACA CAG AAG TTG TCA CTT ATC ATT AGA 2843 Leu Asp Gly Asp He He Arg Thr Gin Lys Leu Ser Leu He He Arg 915 920 925 ACA GTG GGC AGA CAG TTT CCT GGA CAT TTG CTG GCA TGG GAT TTT GTT 2891 Thr Val Gly Arg Gin Phe Pro Gly His Leu Leu Ala Trp Asp Phe Val 930 935 940 945 AAG GAA AAC TGG AAT AAG CTT GTA CAT AAG TTC CAT CTG GGC TCC TAT 2939 Lys Glu Asn Trp Asn Lys Leu Val His Lys Phe His Leu Gly Ser Tyr 950 955 960 ACC ATT CAA AGC ATT GTT GCT GGA TCT ACT CAC TTA TTT TCA ACG AAG 2987 Thr He Gin Ser He Val Ala Gly Ser Thr His Leu Phe Ser Thr Lys 965 970 975 ACA CAT TTA TCT GAG GTC CAG GAA TTC TTC GAA AAT CAG TCA GAG GCA 3035 Thr His Leu Ser Glu Val Gin Glu Phe Phe Glu Asn Gin Ser Glu Ala 980 985 990 ACC TTG CAG CTT CGG TGT GTT CAG GAG GCC TTC GAA GTG ATT GAG CTG 3083 Thr Leu Gin Leu Arg Cys Val Gin Glu Ala Phe Glu Val He Glu Leu 995 1000 1005 AAT ATC CAG TGG ATG GCC AGG AAT CTG AAA ACT CTG ACA CTG TGG CTG 3131 Asn He Gin Trp Met Ala Arg Asn Leu Lys Thr Leu Thr Leu Trp Leu 1010 1015 1020 1025 TAGCCCTCAC AGCTGATCTT CCGGTGCCCA TGGCTCTGCT GCTTTTGCAA AGGTTGAGTG 3191 AAGGCCGGCC TGCTACTGAG TTGTTTGCAC TGTTAGGATC TAGTTAGCTC AGGGCCCAAT 3251 TGTATTTTTC ATATCTTTTC TGAAATGTCC TTAGGCGGTA GTTATTTATT ACAAAATTAT 3311 ATTCACCTGT ACGTCAACCA TCTACAATAA CAGTGAAGAC CTGCCCGCGC GGCCGCTCGA 3371 GCCCTATAGT GAGT 3385 (18) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 17: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 18 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: (A) Description: - peptide. fragment of GTVap with homology to second repeat in GTVap (Seq ID No 18) and Glut4 (Seq ID No. 19) and which is likely involved in retention and sorting to an insulin sensitive compartment. (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: Retention signal to insulin sensitive compartment (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: similarity to other sequence in GTVap and sequence in Glut4 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 17: His Pro Leu Glu Pro Asp Glu Val Glu Tyr Glu Pro Arg Gly Ser Arg 5 10 15 Leu Leu (19) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 18: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 17 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: (A) Description: - peptide. fragment of GTVap with homology to first ' repeat in GTVap (Seq ID No 17) and Glut4 (Seq ID No. 19) and which is likely involved in retention and sorting to an insulin sensitive compartment. (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: Retention signal to insulin sensitive compartment (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: similarity to other sequence in GTVap and sequence in Glut4 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 18: His Glu Met Asp Glu Asp Glu Glu Asp Tyr Glu Ser Ser Ala Lys Leu 5 10 15 Leu (20) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 19: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 21 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: (A) Description: - peptide. fragment of Glut4 with homology to two repeats in GTVap (Seq ID Nos 17 and 18) and which is likely involved in retention and sorting to an insulin sensitive compartment, (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: Retention signal to insulin sensitive compartment (C) IDENTIFICATION METHOD: similarity to sequences in GTVap (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 19: Leu Leu Glu Gin Glu Val Lys Pro Ser Thr Glu Leu Glu Tyr Leu Gly 5 10 15 Pro Asp Glu Asn Asp 20 (21) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 20: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 14 to 22 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: (A) Description: - peptide. (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: forward consensus of insulin sensitive retention sequence common to GTVap and GLUT4 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 20: X aa Xaa (χiaa) 3 (Xaa) 2 _ 3 Tyr Glu (Xaa)ι_ 3 Ser (Xaa) 0 -ι X 2 aa (Xaa) 0 -4 Leu Leu (22) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 21: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 14 to 22 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: (A) Description: - peptide. (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: yes (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: reverse consensus of insulin sensitive retention sequence common to GTVap and GLUT4 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 21: Leu Leu (Xaa) 0 - 4 X 2 aa (Xaa) 0 -ι Ser (Xaa)ι_ 3 Glu Tyr (Xaa) 2 _ 3 (X i aa) 3 Xaa χ! a

Claims: We claim: 1. A protein which (a) is a component of GLUT4-containing vesicles in the natural state; (b) has aminopeptidase activity; (c) has a molecular weight of approximately HOkD in its deglycosylated form; (d) comprises the amino acid sequences Phe-Ala-Ala-Thr-Gln- Phe-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ala-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1) and Ile-Leu-Gln- Asn-Gln-Ile-Gln-Gln-Gln-Thr-Arg-Thr-Asp-Glu-Gly-Xaa-Pro- Xaa-Met (SEQ ID NO: 2); and (e) reacts with antibodies produced against the peptide identified as (SEQ ID NO: 1) ; and muteins thereof. 2. The protein of claim 1, further characterized in that it is encoded by the cDNA sequence shown as (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16) and is essentially identical to the predicted protein sequence for GTVap (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16). 3. The protein of claim 1, further characterized in that (a) it possesses optimal activity at neutral pH; (b) its relative activity toward synthetic amino acid -p- nitroanilide substrates is: leucine»proline, alanine> valine, glycine; (c) its activity is modulated by divalent ions of Co, Zn, Mg, Mn, and Ca; (d) the minimum temperature of inactivation is between 40°C and 50°C; (e) its activity is stabilized by ions of Ca; (f) its activity is reduced by phenanthroline, dipyridyl, leuthiol, amastatin, actinonin, and bestatin; (g) it has at least three glycosylated forms having molecular weights of approximately 165kD, 155kD, and 120kD. respectively. 4. The protein of claim 3, f rther characterized in that its relative activity toward synthetic amino acid β-naphthylamide substrates is: leucine > lysine > arginine > methionine > alanine > phenylalanine. 5. A method of purifying GTVap and separating glycosylated species thereof, comprising the following steps: (a) extracting said GTVap from at least one source; (b) contacting said GTVap extract with lectin affinity resin to absorb glycosylated GTVap; (c) eluting glycosylated GTVap from said lectin affinity resin; (d) contacting the eluate from said lectin affinity resin with a chelation chromatography resin comprising a metal ion which interacts simultaneously with the resin and GTVap; (e) collecting unbound material from said chelation chromatography resin; (f) eluting bound material from said chelation chromatography resin; (g) separately contacting the unbound and the eluted GTVap- containing fractions from said chelation chromatography resin with anion exchange resin; (h) eluting bound GTVap species from said anion exchange resin; and (i) detecting separated GTVap species from said anion exchange resin. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of extracting GTVap is carried out using a mixture of at least one metal ion stabilizer and a detergent. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stabilizer is calcium ion. 8. The method of claim 5, wherein in said step of contacting the eluate from said lectin affinity resin with a chelation chromatography resin, zinc ion is employed as said metal ion. 9. The method of claim 5, wherein in said step of separately contacting the unbound and the eluted GTVap-containing fractions from said chelation chromatography resin with anion exchange resin, said anion exchange resin contains quaternary ammonium groups. 10. A method for identifying modulators of GTVap activity, comprising the following steps: (a) providing GTVap or GTVap-containing material having an assayable amount of enzymatic activity; (b) incubating said GTVap or GTVap-containing material with a test substance to be assayed for ability to modulate GTVap activity; (c) adding a GTVap substrate; (d) monitoring GTVap activity as a function of time; and (e) determining the modulatory effect of said test substance on GTVap. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said GTVap or GTVap- containing material having an assayable amount of enzymatic activity is obtained from adipose tissue, skeletal muscle tissue, cardiac muscle, cell lines derived from these tissues, or from a recombinant source. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein in said step of adding a GTVap substrate, leucine paranitroanilide or a polypeptide substrate is employed. 13. An antibody specific for GTVap, produced using substantially pure GTVap or a fragment thereof. 14. A method for determining GTVap in biological material, comprising the following steps: (a) preparing a specimen of biological material to optimally expose immunoreactive epitopes; (b) incubating said specimen or an extract thereof with GTVap specific antibody; (c) removing unbound antibodies from said specimen; and (d) quantifying antibodies bound to GTVap in said specimen. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein in said incubating step said GTVap specific antibody is the GTVapl antibody. 16. An oligonucleotide probe specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap. 17. An oligonucleotide probe of claim 16, wherein said oligonucleotide is selected from the group consisting of oligonucleotides having the following sequences: 5' TTY GCN GCN ACN CAR TTY GAR CCN YTN GCN GCN 3' (SEQ ID NO: 3); 5' NGC NGC NAR NGG YTC RAA YTG NGT NGC NGC RAA 3' (SEQ ID NO: 4) ; 5' ATH YTN CAR AAY CAR ATH CAR CAR CAR ACN MGN ACN GAY GAR GGN 3' (SEQ ID NO: 6); 5' NCC YTC RTC NGT NCK NGT YTG YTG YTG DAT YTG RTT YTG NAR DAT 3' (SEQ ID NO: 7) ; and fragments thereof; wherein N is A, T, C, G, or I (inosine) ; R is A or G; Y is C or T; M is A or C; K is G or T; S is C or G; W is A or T; H is A, C, or T; B is C, G, or T; V is A, C, or G; and D is A, G, or T. 18. A method for determining a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap in a biological specimen, comprising the following steps: (a) preparing a biological specimen for analysis of nucleic acid material; (b) incubating nucleic acid material of said biological specimen with an oligonucleotide probe specific for a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap; (c) removing unbound oligonucleotide probe from said nucleic acid material; (d) determining oligonucleotide probe bound to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a segment of GTVap. 19. A purified nucleic acid consisting essentially of a nucleic acid encoding a GTVap having the amino acid sequence depicted in Fig 20 (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16) or a nucleic acid able to hybridize to the complement thereof under stringent conditions and which encodes a GTVap. 20. The purified nucleic acid of claim 19, said purified nucleic acid being present in a vector. 21. The purified nucleic acid of claim 19, said purified nucleic acid being present in a cell. 22. The purified nucleic acid of claim 19, said nucleic acid being under the transcriptional control of a heterologous promoter. 23. A homogeneous population of cells, wherein each of said cells comprises a cloned nucleic acid encoding a GTVap having the amino acid sequence depicted in FIG 20 (SEQ. ID NOs. 15 and 16) or a nucleic acid able to hybridize to the complement thereof under stringent conditions and which encodes a GTVap. 24. The homogeneous population of cells of claim 23, wherein each cell is a mammalian cell. 25. A method of producing GTVap, comprising the steps of: culturing the cell of claim 23 in medium to form a population of cells which expresses GTVap, and purifying GTVap from said cells or from said culture medium. 26. A polypeptide which encodes the retention sequence of a protein, and is selected from the group consisting of a first polypeptide comprising the following sequence of amino acid residues:-Xaa-Xaa-(Xiaa) 3 -(Xaa) 2 - 3 -Tyr-Glu-(Xaa)ι_ 3 -Ser-(Xaa)0-1- X2aa- (Xaa) 0 - 4 -Leu-Leu- (SEQ ID NO: 20), and a second polypeptide, comprising the following sequence of amino acid residues: -Leu-Leu- (Xaa) o- 4 -X 2 aa- (Xaa) 0 -ι-Ser- (Xaa) ! _ 3 -Glu-Tyr- (Xaa) 2 - 3 - (X χ aa) 3 -Xaa-χ aa- (SEQ ID NO: 21*) ; wherein Xaa represents any amino acid residue, X aa represents Pro, Glu, or Asp, and X 2 aa represents Arg or Lys, and muteins thereof. 27. The polypeptide of claim 26, wherein said retention sequence is His Pro Leu Glu Pro Asp Glu Val Glu Tyr Glu Pro Arg Gly Ser Arg Leu Leu (SEQ. ID NO 17); His Glu Met Asp Glu Asp Glu Glu Asp Tyr Glu Ser Ser Ala Lys Leu Leu (SEQ. ID NO 18); or Leu Leu Glu Gin Glu Val Lys Pro Ser Thr Glu Leu Glu Tyr Leu Gly Pro Asp Glu Asn Asp (SEQ. ID NO 19) . 28. A method for identifying an insulin sensitive retention sequence of a protein other than GTVap whose sorting is regulated by insulin, which comprises determining the amino acid sequence of said protein, comparing said sequence with the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide recited in claim 26, and identifying an amino acid sequence of said protein which contains or is homologous to the amino acid sequence of said polypeptide. 29. A method for identifying an intracellular sorting protein or active fragment thereof which binds to an insulin sensitive retention sequence of a second protein, the method comprising: a) incubating said intracellular sorting protein with said retention sequence under conditions favorable for binding between said sorting protein and said retention sequence, and b) identifying specifically bound sorting protein. 30. A method for identifying a compound capable of altering the intracellular sorting of at least one of GLUT4 and GTVap, the method comprising: a) incubating an intracellular sorting protein or active fragment thereof with the polypeptide retention sequence of claim A under conditions favorable for binding between said sorting protein and said retention sequence, in the presence and absence of a test compound; b) quantifying specifically bound complexes of said sorting protein and said retention sequence; and c ) comparing the degrees of complex formation in the presence and absence of the test compound. 31. A method of treating syndromes of insulin resistance , comprising administering to a subject exhibiting a syndrome of insulin resistance an effective amount of a modulator of GTVap in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier .

Inventors: CLAIRMONT KEVIN B, GURALSKI DONNA, HAIGH WALLACE, HART JOHN T, KNOWLES WILLIAM J, LETSINGER JOHN T, CLAIRMONT, KEVIN, B., GURALSKI, DONNA, HAIGH, WALLACE, HART, JOHN, T., KNOWLES, WILLIAM, J., LETSINGER, JOHN, T.
Applicants: BAYER AG, BAYER CORPORATION
Application year: 1995
Main classification: C07H21
IPC codes: A61K38, A61P3, A61P43, C07K16, C12N9, C12N15, C12Q1, G01N33