Jumonji is a nuclear protein that participates in the negative regulation of cell growth

The jumonji (jmj) gene, obtained by a gene trap strategy, is essential for mouse embryogenesis and is suggested to play important roles in cell growth during development. The amino acid sequence of the Jmj protein includes a nuclear localization signal and a DNA binding motif called the AT-rich interaction domain (ARID). To investigate the biological functions of the Jmj protein, we prepared specific antibodies. Using these antibodies, we showed that the Jmj protein is a 160-kDa protein and localizes in the nuclei of COS-7 cells transfected with jmj cDNA and megakaryocytes from fetal liver which show strong endogenous expression of the jmj gene. Moreover, overexpression of the Jmj protein in COS-7 and NIH3T3 cells remarkably reduced cell proliferation compared with control cells transfected with vector alone. These results show that the Jmj protein acts in cell nuclei and participates in the negative regulation of cell proliferation signaling.