F. Gilles et al., A novel gene STORP (STOmatin-Related Protein) is localized 2 kb upstream of the promyelocytic gene on chromosome 15q22, EUR J HAEMA, 64(2), 2000, pp. 104-113
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.