HEN1 and HEN2: a subgroup of basic helix-loop-helix genes that are coexpressed in a human neuroblastoma

An important family of regulatory molecules is made up of proteins that possess the DNA-binding and dimerization motif known as the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain. The bHLH family includes subgroups of closely related proteins that share common functional properties and overlapping patterns of expression (e.g., the MyoD1 and achaete-scute subgroups). In this report we describe HEN1 and HEN2, mammalian genes that encode a distinct subgroup of bHLH proteins. The HEN1 gene was identified on the basis of cross-hybridization with TAL1, a known bHLH gene implicated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In situ fluorescence hybridization was used to localize the human HEN1 gene to chromosome band 1q22. HEN1 and HEN2 are coexpressed in the IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cell line, and they encode highly related proteins of 133 and 135 residues, respectively, that share 98% amino acid identity in their hHLH domains. These data imply that the bHLH protein subgroup encoded by HEN1 and HEN2 may serve important regulatory functions in the developing nervous system.