Isolation, characterization, and chromosomal localization of the human ENSA gene that encodes alpha-endosulfine, a regulator of beta-cell K-ATP channels

Human alpha-endosulfine is an endogenous regulator of the beta-cell K-ATP c hannels, The recombinant alpha-endosulfine inhibits sulfonylurea binding to beta-cell membranes, reduces cloned K-ATP channel currents, and stimulates insulin secretion from beta-cells. These properties led us to study the hu man ENSA gene that encodes a-endosulfine, Here, we describe the isolation, the partial characterization, and the chromosomal localization of the ENSA gene, The ENSA gene appears to be a 1.8-kb-long sequence that contains the transcription initiation site located 528 bp upstream of the initiation cod on, The ENSA gene is intronless, and a single copy gene seems to be present in the genome. Finally, the ENSA gene colocalizes on human chromosome 14 ( 14q24,3-q31) with a locus for susceptibility to type I diabetes called IDDM 11; thus, the ENSA gene represents an IDDM11 candidate.