CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NUCLEOREDOXIN GENE THAT ENCODES ANOVEL NUCLEAR-PROTEIN RELATED TO THIOREDOXIN

In a yeast artificial chromosome contig close to the nude locus on mou se chromosome 11, we identified a novel gene, nucleoredoxin, that enco des a protein with similarity to the active site of thioredoxins. Nucl eoredoxin is conserved between mammalian species, and two homologous g enes mere found in Caenorhabditis elegans. The nucleoredoxin transcrip ts are expressed in all adult tissues examined, but restricted to the nervous system and the limb buds in Day 10.5-11.5 embryos, The nucleor edoxin protein is predominantly localized in the nucleus of cells tran sfected with the nucleoredoxin expression construct, Since the bacteri ally expressed protein of nucleoredoxin showed oxido-reductase activit y of the insulin disulfide bonds with kinetics similar to that of thio redoxin, it may be a redox regulator of the nuclear proteins, such as transcription factors. (C) 1997 Academic Press.