ISOLATION OF HRP2(+) GENE, A NEW MEMBER OF SNF2 SWI2 FAMILY FROM FISSION YEAST SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES-POMBE/

The SNF2 family includes proteins from a variety of species with roles in cellular processes such as transcriptional regulation, recombinati on and various types of DNA repair. Several proteins with unknown func tion are also included in this family. In addition, the number of gene s that comprises this family is rapidly expanding. Here, we report the partial cloning and characterization of hrp2(+) gene (helicase relate d gene from S. pombe) which was isolated by PCR amplification using th e conserved domain of SNF2 motifs. Sequence analysis of the PCR produc t (438-bp) showed striking evolutionary conservation among the SNF2 fa mily of proteins. Moreover, it has been shown through the amino acids sequence alignment that Hrp2 protein is most similar to MOT1 protein. Southern blot analysis confirmed that S. pombe chromosome contains the same DNA as hrp2(+) gene and this gene exists as a single copy in S. pombe genome. Two transcripts of 6.7- and 3.4-kb were detected by Nort hern blot analysis. Furthermore, the intensities of these two bands we re increased by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. These results indicate t hat hrp2(+) is a novel member of the SNF2 family of proteins and is on e of the UV-inducible genes in S. pombe.