A novel gene STORP (STOmatin-Related Protein) is localized 2 kb upstream of the promyelocytic gene on chromosome 15q22

We generated a 100-kb map of the region 5' of the PML (promyelocytic leukem ia) gene on human chromosome 15q22 and identified a new gene provisionally named STORP for stomatin-related protein. The STORP gene is positioned 2 kb upstream of the PML gene in a head-to-head configuration, and contains 7 e xons spanning a genomic region of about 11 kb. There is an open reading fra me of 398 amino acids, which would encode a protein of 45 kD. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the STORP gene has a ubiquitous pattern of expr ession similar to that of the PML gene. Hybridization of STORP cDNA probe t o genomic DNA from other species demonstrated that the STORP gene is conser ved among mammalian vertebrates and that the physical linkage with PML is c onserved in mice. Unlike PML, the STORP gene is not induced by interferon a lpha (IFN alpha), and thus can be distinctly regulated from the PML gene. S TORP is homologous to the EPB72 gene coding for the erythrocyte band 7 inte gral membrane protein or stomatin, which is deficient in a certain form of hereditary stomatocytosis. The function of STORP is unknown. Further study will focus on studying its potential role in red cell function and disorder s.