cDNA selection was used to identify genes encoded by a 440-kb yeast ar
tificial chromosome (YAC) clone that spanned from HLA-DRA to CYP21 in
the HLA complex. An initially selected short cDNA was used to isolate
a 2639-nucleotide, apparently full-length cDNA from a human tonsil lib
rary. This cDNA contained one extended open reading frame that predict
ed a protein of 700 amino acids with a basic region and a leucine zipp
er that is highly similar to members of the Creb/ATF subfamily. High-s
tringency Southern blotting of total human genomic DNA using this cDNA
as the probe showed only a single locus that mapped to the selecting
YAC clone. This gene, designated Creb-related protein (Creb-rp), is ex
pressed ubiquitously and is evolutionarily conserved in mammals. It is
located in the HLA Class III region 6-10 kb centromeric of the XB gen
e, which encodes a tenascin-like extracellular matrix protein. Homolog
ous sequences are located in the Class II-Class III interval of the mo
use H-2 complex. The amino acid sequence homology and general structur
al features of the predicted protein indicate that this gene encodes a
general transcription factor belonging to the Creb/ATF subfamily of t
he bZip superfamily. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.