Genomic structure, expression, and chromosomal localization of the human glycine N-methyltransferase gene

The glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) gene encodes a protein that not only acts as an enzyme to regulate the ratio of S-adenosylmethionine to S-adeno sylhomocysteine, but also participates in the detoxification pathway in liv er cells. Previously, we reported that the expression level of GNMT was dim inished in human hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, the human GNMT ge ne was cloned and characterized. It contains six exons and spans about 10 k b. Instead of a TATA box, it has a transcriptional initiator located 801 bp upstream from the translation start codon. The gene was localized to chrom osome 6p12 using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Northern blot analysis of 16 tissues from different human organs showed that GNMT was expressed o nly in liver, pancreas, and prostate. (C) 2000 Academic Press.