IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF EXPRESSION OF HUMAN VACM-1, A CULLIN GENE FAMILY MEMBER LOCATED ON CHROMOSOME 11Q22-23

We have localized the human homolog of the rabbit vasopressin-activate d calcium-mobilizing receptor VACM-1 to a region close to the gene For ataxia telangiectasia ATM on chromosome 11q22-23. We have determined the complete amino acid sequence of the human Hs-VACM-1 protein, which is 780 amino acids long. The human and rabbit sequences are highly co nserved, differing at only seven amino acids. Northern analysis of the human gene showed expression in a wide range of human tissues. The Hs -VACM-1 gene has homology with the Caenorhabditis elegans gene Ce-cul- 5, a member of a family of cullin genes that are involved in cell cycl e regulation and that might, when mutated, contribute to tumor progres sion.