Genomic structure of the human RBP56/hTAFII68 and FUS/TLS genes

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genomics
• Cancer Biology

Background:

• RBP56/hTAFII68, FUS/TLS, and EWS proteins form an RNA-binding protein subfamily.
• FUS/TLS and EWS gene rearrangements are implicated in malignant tumor pathogenesis.
• Understanding the genomic structure of RBP56/hTAFII68 is crucial for comparative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the genomic structure of the RBP56/hTAFII68 gene.
• To compare the genomic structures of RBP56/hTAFII68, FUS/TLS, and EWS genes.
• To investigate the evolutionary relationship between these genes.

Main Methods:

• PCR amplification using conserved RNA-binding domain primers.
• Isolation and characterization of RBP56 cDNA.
• Determination of the genomic structure of RBP56/hTAFII68 (37kb, 16 exons).
• Determination of the total DNA sequence of the FUS/TLS gene (12kb).

Main Results:

• The RBP56/hTAFII68 gene comprises 16 exons.
• Exon 15 of RBP56/hTAFII68 encodes a C-terminal region with repetitive sequences.
• The RBP56/hTAFII68, FUS/TLS, and EWS genes share conserved exon organization, particularly in regions encoding the RNA-binding domain and cysteine finger motif.
• These genes possess similar exon numbers.

Conclusions:

• The RBP56/hTAFII68, FUS/TLS, and EWS genes exhibit significant structural conservation.
• The conserved exon organization suggests a common ancestral gene for this subfamily of RNA-binding proteins.
• This finding provides insights into the evolution of RNA-binding proteins involved in cellular processes and potentially in cancer development.