The murine DSCR1-like (Down syndrome candidate region 1) gene family: conserved synteny with the human orthologous genes.

A recently recognized gene family, conserved from yeast to humans, includes Down syndrome candidate region 1 gene (DSCR1), Adapt78 (recognized as the hamster ortholog of the DSCR1 isoform 4), ZAKI-4 (renamed DSCR1-like 1, DSCR1L1) and DSCR1L2 (a novel gene on human chromosome 1), along with yeast and C. elegans single members (Strippoli P., Lenzi L., Petrini M., Carinci P., Zannotti M., 2000. A new gene family including DSCR1 (Down Syndrome Candidate Region 1) and ZAKI-4: characterization from yeast to human and identification of DSCR1-like 2, a novel human member. Genomics 64, 252-263). The proposed family labels were a putative single-strand nucleic acid binding domain similar to the RNA recognition motif, and a unique, highly-conserved serine-proline motif. We have used a bioinformatics-driven molecular biology approach to characterize the murine members of DSCR1-like gene family. Systematic expressed-sequence-tags (EST) database search and reverse-transcription polymerase chain rection (RT-PCR) product sequencing allowed identification of the murine DSCR1, DSCR1L1 and DSCR1L2. The sequences of the respective protein products are of 198, 197 and 241 amino acids, respectively, and are very similar to the corresponding human proteins. The very broad expression pattern of the murine DSCR1 genes is similar to that of the human genes. Using a radiation hybrid panel, we mapped the murine DSCR1-like family members. The murine DSCR1 ortholog is located on the chromosome 16, in a region corresponding to that on human chromosome 21 just upstream of the Down syndrome candidate region. DSCR1L1 and DSCR1L2 murine genes are also located in chromosomal segments of chromosome 17 and 4, respectively, exactly corresponding to those containing the respective human homologs on chromosomes 6 and 1. Description of the mouse orthologs for DSCR1-like genes will allow knockout mice to be obtained for specific family members.