Three tightly linked genes encoding human type I keratins: conservation of sequence in the 5'-untranslated leader and 5'-upstream regions of coexpressed keratin genes.

We have isolated and subcloned three separate segments of human DNA which share strong sequence homology with a previously sequenced gene encoding a type I keratin, K14 (50 kilodaltons). Restriction endonuclease mapping has demonstrated that these three genes are tightly linked chromosomally, whereas the K14 gene appears to be separate. As judged by positive hybridization-translation and Northern blot analyses, the central linked gene encodes a keratin, K17, which is expressed in abundance with K14 and two other type I keratins in cultured human epidermal cells. None of these other epidermal keratin mRNAs appears to be generated from the K17 gene through differential splicing of its transcript. The sequence of the K17 gene reveals striking homologies not only with the coding portions and intron positions of the K14 gene, but also with its 5'-noncoding and 5'-upstream sequences. These similarities may provide an important clue in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the coexpression of the two genes.