Identification of novel transcription factor-like gene from human intestinal cells

Intestinal crypt epithelial T84 cells form luminal structures and different iate to intestinal enterocyte-like cells in response to IMR-90 fibroblast-s ecreted transforming growth factor-beta when grown within three-dimensional collagen gel. In search of TGF-beta regulated genes involved in this diffe rentiation process, we isolated a TGF-beta downregulated cDNA, human homolo gue of rat apoptosis antagonising transcription factor that codes for a 560 -amino-acid protein. Human AATF-mRNA was expressed at high levels in human brain, heart, thymus, kidney, and placenta while in skeletal muscle and col on the expression was lower. The gene was mapped to chromosome 17q11.2-q12. (C) 2000 Academic Press.