SEQUENCE OF THE HUMAN DOPACHROME TAUTOMERASE-ENCODING TRP-2 CDNA

We have isolated cDNAs for the human TRP-2 gene which represents a thi rd member of the tyrosinase-related gene family and encodes the dopach rome tautomerase activity that functions in the synthesis of melanin p igment. The human TRP-2 protein has 83% identity/90% similarity to the mouse sequence and has all the structural characteristics of the tyro sinase protein family, including a signal peptide, 15 conserved cystei ne residues, two copper-binding domains and a C-terminal membrane-span ning region. Northern blot analysis reveals that TRP-2 is expressed at high levels in human melanoma cells.