Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human cAMP response element-binding ( CREB) gene ( CREB4)

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding (CREB) proteins are a family of mammalian transcription activators. We identified a novel human CREB gene ( CREB4) that was 1592 bp long and encoded a protein of 395 amino acid residues. The protein shared high homology to mouse CREB3 (identity 62%, similarity 72%). The expression pattern of the human CREB4 gene showed transcripts in prostate, brain, pancreas, skeletal muscle, small intestine, testis, leukocyte, and thymus, whereas in heart, lung, liver, kidney, placenta, spleen, ovary, and colon, specific bands of the transcript could not be detected. The CREB4 gene consisted of ten exons and nine introns and was mapped to chromosome 1q21.3 by means of a bioinformatics analysis.