cDNA cloning, chromosome assignment, and genomic structure of a human geneencoding a novel member of the RBM family

We have cloned and characterised a novel human gene mapping to chromosome 2 0q11.2. A partial transcript was initially isolated from a human cDNA libra ry transcribed from RNA of the colon carcinoma cell line T-84. In order to determine the full coding sequence of this novel mRNA, we isolated seven cD NA clones from a human cDNA library transcribed from RNA of the acute monoc ytic leukemia cell line THP1 by colony hybridization. On Northern blot anal ysis of four human cell lines, the cDNAs isolated hybridize with an abundan tly expressed mRNA species of 3.5 kb. A full-length cDNA transcript of this novel mRNA has an open reading frame of 2,796 bp encoding a protein with a calculated molecular weight of 97 kDa. Two repetitive structural consensus motifs are contained within the deduced protein sequence, namely five dist inct RNA binding motifs and two proline rich regions. The derived protein s equence also contains putative transmembrane domains. These structural moti fs identify this novel protein as a member of an expanding protein family c ontaining RNA binding motifs (RBM). As seen from recently completed sequenc e of the genomic area encoding this novel mRNA by the Sanger Centre Human G enome Project, the coding region of this gene, RBM12, is intronless. Copyri ght (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.