Bedford F K, Ashworth A, Enver T, Wiedemann L M
Leukaemia Research Fund Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
Nucleic Acids Res. 1993 Mar 11;21(5):1245-9. doi: 10.1093/nar/21.5.1245.
We describe the cloning of a novel homeodomain-containing gene, which is highly conserved between mouse and human. The human cDNA was initially isolated from human haematopoietic tissue and denoted HEX (haematopoietically expressed homeobox). Sequence analysis of the coding sequences from mouse and the partial cDNA from human shows that the homeodomain is most closely related to those of the HIx and HOX11 proteins. The HEX gene is present as a single copy in the human genome. Analysis of murine genomic DNA shows, in addition to an intron-containing gene homologous to HEX, the presence of a processed copy of the gene which has arisen within the last few million years. Analysis of human and murine haematopoietic cells and cell lines, revealed expression of the HEX gene in multipotential progenitors, as well as cells of the B-lymphocyte and myeloid lineages. However HEX was not expressed in T-lymphocytes or erythroid cells. This pattern of HEX gene expression suggests that it may play a role in haematopoietic differentiation.
我们描述了一个新的含同源结构域基因的克隆，该基因在小鼠和人类之间高度保守。人类cDNA最初是从人类造血组织中分离出来的，命名为HEX（造血表达同源框）。对小鼠编码序列和人类部分cDNA的序列分析表明，同源结构域与HIx和HOX11蛋白的同源结构域关系最为密切。HEX基因在人类基因组中以单拷贝形式存在。对小鼠基因组DNA的分析表明，除了一个与HEX同源的含内含子基因外，还存在一个在过去几百万年内出现的该基因的加工拷贝。对人类和小鼠造血细胞及细胞系的分析显示，HEX基因在多能祖细胞以及B淋巴细胞和髓系细胞系的细胞中表达。然而，HEX在T淋巴细胞或红细胞中不表达。HEX基因的这种表达模式表明它可能在造血分化中起作用。
