Cloning, Chromosomal Localization, Physical Mapping, and Genomic Characterization ofHKR3

Abstract

TheKrüppel-type zinc finger proteins are members of a conserved family of transcription factors that are important in developmental regulation. Altered expression of several of these proteins has been implicated in human diseases, including cancer. We report the cloning, mapping, and characterization of the zinc finger geneHuman Krüppel-Related 3(HKR3). Genomic clones ofHKR3were isolated from a P1 library and localized to human chromosome subband 1p36.3 by human–rodent somatic cell hybrid mapping and fluorescencein situhybridization. The gene was physically mapped to within 40 kb ofD1S214by YAC content and long-range restriction mapping.HKR3spans 9.5 kb of genomic DNA and is contained in 11 exons. Sequencing defined each of the exon/intron splice site junctions and identified a CpG island in the 5′ region of the gene.HKR3is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues as at least two major transcripts, the shorter of which excludes a conserved finger-associated box and a putative acidic activation domain contained in the full-length transcript.HKR3is a novel zinc finger gene that maps to a region of the genome commonly rearranged or deleted in human cancers.