Cataloging of the genes expressed in human keratinocytes: analysis of 607 randomly isolated cDNA sequences.

The partial nucleotide sequences of 607 cDNAs randomly isolated from a cDNA library of cultured human epidermal keratinocytes were determined by single pass sequencing. Homology search of the sequences to the non-redundant nucleotide databases revealed that 27% of the cDNAs matched registered human-or non-human genes encoding not only keratinocyte specific genes, but also a variety of functional proteins, the expression of which had not been identified in keratinocytes. Non-matching cDNAs covering 49% of the cDNAs were not homologous even to ESTs from other organs, suggesting that these cDNAs include novel genes expressed in the cells. The large scale sequencing of keratinocyte cDNAs provides a useful molecular source for research into biology and diseases of the skin.