Sequence, organization, and expression of the human FEM1B gene

The FEM-1 protein of Caenorhabditis elegans functions within the nematode s ex-determination pathway. Two mouse homologs, encoded by the Fem1a and Fem1 b genes, have been reported. We report here the characterization of a novel human gene, designated FEM1B, that is highly homologous to the mouse Fem1b gene. FEM1B encodes a protein, designated FEM1 beta, that shows >99% amino acid identity to the corresponding mouse Fem1b protein, including 100% ami no acid identity in the N-terminal ANK repeat domain. FEM1 beta represents the first characterized human member of the FEM-1 protein family. The human and mouse genes show conservation of coding sequence and its intron/exon o rganization, flanking untranslated and genomic sequences, and expression pa ttern in adult tissues. These findings suggest that there may be evolutiona ry conservation of regulation and function between the mouse and human FEM1 B genes. (C) 2000 Academic Press.