The aryl hydrocarbon receptor-associated protein 9, ARA9 (also known as XAP2 or AIP1), is a chaperone that is found in complexes with certain xenobiotic receptors, such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and the peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor ␣ (PPAR␣). In an effort to better understand the physiological role of ARA9 outside of its role in xenobiotic signal transduction, we generated a null allele at the Ara9 locus in mice. Mice with a homozygous deletion of this gene die at various time points throughout embryonic development. Embryonic lethality is accompanied by decreased blood flow to head and limbs, as well as a range of heart deformations, including double outlet right ventricle, ventricular-septal defects, and pericardial edema. The early cardiovascular defects observed in Ara9-null mice suggest an essential role for the ARA9 protein in cardiac development. The observation that the developmental aberrations in Ara9-null mice are distinct from those observed for disrupted alleles at Ahr or Ppar␣ indicates that the role of ARA9 in cardiac development is independent of its interactions with its known xenobiotic receptor partners.The aryl hydrocarbon receptor-associated protein 9 (ARA9, 2 also known as AIP1) is found in association with two mammalian client proteins, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ␣ (PPAR␣) (1-4). The ARA9 protein has also been characterized in association with the hepatitis-B virus X-protein, HBVx. As the result of its interaction with this viral protein, it is also known by the name hepatitis B virus X-associated protein or XAP2 (5).The ARA9 protein is structurally related to the immunophilin family of proteins, harboring an N-terminal FK506 binding (FKBP) domain and C-terminal tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs) (1,3,6). The FKBP domains of many immunophilin proteins possess peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity that can be blocked by the binding of immunosuppressants such as FK506 (7,8). Despite the sequence similarity between the N terminus of ARA9 and the FKBP domains of other immunophilins, ARA9 does not appear to possess isomerase activity or affinity for FK506 (1). We postulate that the structural similarity of ARA9 to the immunophilin family is a reflection of a shared capacity to act as a cellular chaperone, and play a role in the folding and localization of client proteins.The ARA9 protein has been extensively studied in association with the AHR. As a chaperone, ARA9 maintains the AHR in a cytosolic localization, decreases AHR degradation, and increases its ligand binding capacity (9 -11). Although little is known regarding the functional role of ARA9 in PPAR␣ and HBVx function, initial data are consistent with ARA9 acting as a chaperone for these proteins as well (4, 5). We hypothesize that in addition to xenobiotic signaling, the ARA9 protein is also a common chaperone to many proteins involved in a variety of essential cellular functions. This idea is supported by results from whole mount in ...