Chromosomal localization, structure, and expression of the human alpha-fetoprotein gene

By in situ hybridization of cloned human alpha-fetoprotein cDNA to human mitotic chromosome preparations, the alpha-fetoprotein gene was localized within the q11-22 region on the long arm of human chromosome 4. In addition, the human alpha-fetoprotein gene was isolated from a genomic phage library. The gene is split into 15 exons and 14 introns, and the entire structure is contained within two large (9.5 and 9.0) and two small (0.3 and 0.25 kb) EcoRI fragments of contiguous chromosomal DNA. The structure of alpha-fetoprotein and its gene is very similar to the corresponding structures of serum albumin, indicating a common evolutionary origin of these two serum proteins. However, the two genes are differentially expressed during normal development and under certain pathological conditions such as hepatomas, germ-cell tumors, or ataxia-telangiectasia. The molecular basis of this differential gene expression remains to be understood.