Abstract
The regulator of complement activation (RCA) gene cluster evolved by multiple gene duplications to produce a family of genes coding for proteins that collectively control the activation of the complement system. We report here the characterization of C4BPAL1, a member of the human RCA gene cluster that arose from the duplication of the C4BPA gene after the separation of the rodent and primate lineages. C4BPAL1 maps 20 kb downstream of the C4BPA gene and is the same 5' to 3' orientation found for all RCA genes characterized thus far. It includes nine exon-like regions homologous to exons 2-8, 11, and 12 of the C4BPA gene. Analysis of the C4BPAL1 sequence suggests that it is currently a pseudogene in humans. However, comparisons between C4BPAL1 and the human and murine C4BPA genes show sequence conservation, which strongly suggests that, for a long period of time, C4BPAL1 has been a functional gene coding for a protein with structural requirements similar to those of the alpha-chain of C4b-binding protein.
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