C2H2-546 - A ZINC-FINGER PROTEIN DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED IN HTLV-1 INFECTED T-CELLS

We report the cloning and characterization of a novel cDNA termed C2H2 -546 which encodes a C2H2-type zinc finger protein. C2H2-546 RNA is ex pressed in the HTLV-1 infected T cells examined which were derived fro m HAM-TSP patients, but not in T cells derived from ATL patients. The C2H2-546 gene is conserved in humans and primates and maps to chromoso me 10q11.2, a site associated with a variety of cancers. Thus, C2H2-54 6 is a candidate regulatory molecule important in the formation of the se tumors, and may serve as an important marker to distinguish HTLV-1 infected ATL versus HAM-TSP T cell lineages.