We cloned the full-length cDNA of a rat orthologue of ABCA7 (rABCA7) from rat platelets. The cDNA of rABCA7 is 65 10 bp in length and encodes a protein of 2170 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of rABCA7 exhibits homology to those of mouse ABCA7 (92.5% identical in amino acid sequence) and human ABCA7 (76.6%). We obtained two clones of monoclonal antibodies against rABCA7 recognizing different epitopes. Analysis of CHO cells stably expressing rABCA7 by confocal laser-scanning microscopy indicated that rABCA7 is mainly located in the plasma membrane. Western blot analysis of rat tissues revealed that rABCA7 was preferentially expressed in platelets and that its apparent molecular mass was 250 kDa. This is the first report of the tissue distribution of rABCA7 at the protein level and is the first reported case of ABC transporters being expressed in platelets, suggesting their important role in platelet function. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.