title: Molecular characterization of hNRP, a cDNA encoding a human nucleosome-assembly-protein-I-related gene product involved in the induction of cell proliferation.
abstract: We have isolated from a human thymus cDNA library a cDNA clone encoding a potential protein with 54% amino acid similarity to that encoded by a previously identified cDNA for yeast nucleosome assembly protein I (NAP-I). The deduced amino acid sequence for this newly identified cDNA, designated hNRP (human NAP-related protein), contains a potential seven-residue nuclear localization motif, three clusters of highly acidic residues and other structural features found in various proteins implicated in chromatin formation. When expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli, hNRP reacted specifically with a monoclonal antibody raised against human NAP-I. The hNRP transcript was detected in all tissues and cell lines studied, but levels were somewhat increased in rapidly proliferating cells. Moreover, levels of both hNRP mRNA and protein increased rapidly in cultured T-lymphocytes induced to proliferate by incubation with phorbol ester and ionomycin. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin-induced increases in both hNRP mRNA and mitogenesis, as measured by thymidine incorporation, were markedly inhibited, however, in cells treated with an hNRP antisense oligonucleotide. These results demonstrate a correlation between induction of hNRP expression and mitogenesis and taken together with the structural similarities between hNRP and yeast NAP-I suggest that the hNRP gene product participates in DNA replication and thereby plays an important role in the process of cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: H U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozlowski
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hogg
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Branch
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishimi
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Siminovitch
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056490:Nucleosome Assembly Protein 1; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C533557:NAP1L1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056490:Nucleosome Assembly Protein 1; D009707:Nucleosomes; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D011506:Proteins