Isolation and characterization of the plasma hyaluronan-binding protein (PHBP) gene (HABP2)

PHBP is a novel human plasma hyaluronan-binding protein that shows significant homology in amino acid sequence to hepatocyte growth factor activator. Two overlapping clones that encode the human plasma hyaluronan-binding protein (PHBP) gene (HABP2) were isolated and characterized. The PHBP gene spans 35 kb and is composed of 13 exons from 37 to 1,394 bp in size with consensus splice sites. The gene's regulatory sequences contain putative promoter elements, but no typical TATA box. Some exons of this gene showed significant similarities to those of coagulation factor XII, tissue-type plasminogen activator, and urokinase genes in nucleotide length and in intron phasing. We also report the chromosome mapping of this gene by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a genomic DNA fragment as a probe. The PHBP gene (HABP2) was located on chromosome 10q25-q26.