CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF PRIMATE DAXX CDNAS AND MAPPING OF THE HUMANGENE TO CHROMOSOME 6P21.3 IN THE MHC REGION

Murine Daxx, a protein that binds to Fas and enhances Fas-mediated apo ptosis through a signal transduction pathway involving the Jun amino-t erminal kinase, was recently described, Here me report the cloning of human and monkey Daxx cDNAs, the widespread expression of Daxx mRNA in human tissues, and the mapping of the human Daxx gene to 6p21.3 in th e major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, The location of the D axx gene, which is implicated in the pathway for deletion of autoreact ive lymphocytes, in the MHC region may shed light on the genetic basis of autoimmune diseases.