Shannon M, Ashworth L K, Mucenski M L, Lamerdin J E, Branscomb E, Stubbs L
Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-8077, USA.
Genomics. 1996 Apr 1;33(1):112-20. doi: 10.1006/geno.1996.0166.
Several lines of evidence now suggest that many of the zinc-finger-containing (ZNF) genes in the human genome are arranged in clusters. However, little is known about the structure or function of the clusters or about their conservation throughout evolution. Here, we report the analysis of a conserved ZNF gene cluster located in human chromosome 19q13.2 and mouse chromosome 7. Our results indicate that the human cluster consists of at least 10 related Kruppel-associated box (KRAB)-containing ZNF genes organized in tandem over a distance of 350-450 kb. Two cDNA clones representing genes in the murine cluster have been studied in detail. The KRAB A domains of these genes are nearly identical and are highly similar to human 19q13.2-derived KRAB sequences, but DNA-binding ZNF domains and other portions of the genes differ considerably. The two murine genes display distinct expression patterns, but are coexpressed in some adult tissues. These studies pave the way for a systematic analysis of the evolution of structure and function of genes within the numerous clustered ZNF families located on human chromosome 19 and elsewhere in the human and mouse genomes.
目前有几条证据表明，人类基因组中许多含锌指（ZNF）的基因是成簇排列的。然而，对于这些基因簇的结构或功能，以及它们在整个进化过程中的保守性，我们却知之甚少。在此，我们报告了对位于人类19号染色体q13.2区域和小鼠7号染色体上一个保守的ZNF基因簇的分析。我们的结果表明，人类基因簇由至少10个相关的含克鲁ppel相关框（KRAB）的ZNF基因组成，这些基因在350 - 450 kb的距离内串联排列。我们已经详细研究了代表小鼠基因簇中基因的两个cDNA克隆。这些基因的KRAB A结构域几乎相同，并且与源自人类19q13.2的KRAB序列高度相似，但基因的DNA结合ZNF结构域和其他部分则有很大差异。这两个小鼠基因表现出不同的表达模式，但在一些成年组织中共同表达。这些研究为系统分析位于人类19号染色体以及人类和小鼠基因组其他位置的众多成簇ZNF家族内基因的结构和功能进化铺平了道路。
