Molecular cloning of hSLP-1, a novel human brain-specific member of the band 7 MEC-2 family similar to Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-24

We have isolated and characterized cDNA clones encoding a stomatin-like pro tein (hSLP-1) from a human cerebral cortex cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence (394 residues) revealed that hSLP-1 is a bipartite protein, c ontaining a major stomatin-like part, starting at the N-terminus, and a non -specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP)-domain at the C-terminal end, simi lar to the Caenorhabditis elegans protein UNC-24. Therefore, we conclude th at hSLP-1 is the human homologue of UNC-24. In addition, the identification of an alternatively spliced variant demonstrated that two exon/intron boun daries are conserved in the hSLP-1 and unc-24 genes. Northern blot and RNA dot blot analyses showed that the 2.2-kb transcript is mainly expressed in the brain, with the highest levels in the frontal lobe, cerebral cortex, ca udate nucleus? amygdala, temporal lobe, putamen, substantia nigra, and hipp ocampus. This high-level expression of hSLP-1 in the basal ganglia may also reflect the evolutionary link to UNC-24. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.