Expression cloning in K+ transport defective yeast and distribution of HBP1, a new putative HMG transcriptional regulator.

The rat HBP1 cDNA was cloned by its capacity to suppress the potassium transport-defective phenotype of mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. HBP1 cDNA encodes a 513 amino acids protein which, unexpectedly, does not share any homology with K+ transporters or K+ channels. However, a search in protein databases reveals that HBP1 contains a putative DNA-binding domain called HMG-box. Northern blot analysis shows that HBP1 is expressed in a variety of tissues and that in adipocyte and myogenic cell lines, its expression is directly related to differentiation. Taken together, the results suggest that the rat HBP1 is a new member of the HMG class of transcriptional regulators involved in cell differentiation pathways.