Identification and localization of MEP1A-like sequences (MEP1AL1-4) in thehuman genome

The human MEP1A gene encodes the meprin alpha subunit that consists of a pr otease domain conserved in the astacin family of metalloendopeptidases and several C-terminal interaction domains present in other proteins. Using the a subunit cDNA, we identified two clones from a human P1-derived artificia l chromosome (PAC) library. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mappe d both PACs (1e12, 65a14) to chromosome 6p21, confirming the MEP1A location . FISH also mapped PAC 65a14 to chromosome 13cen, and to chromosome 9 in th ree different regions, 9p12-13, 9q21, and 9q22. Southern blot analysis show ed that sequences of PAC 65a14 and MEP1A were similar in the 3' end but dif ferent in the 5' end, revealing for the first time that the human genome ma y encode multiple interaction domains highly similar to those of the meprin cu subunit. The symbols of MEP1AL1, MEP1AL2, MEP1AL3, and MEP1AL4 have bee n designated for MEP1A-like sequences on 9p12-13, 9q21, 9q22, and 13cen, re spectively. (C) 1999 Academic Press.