title: Cysteine and tyrosine-rich 1 (CYYR1), a novel unpredicted gene on human chromosome 21 (21q21.2), encodes a cysteine and tyrosine-rich protein and defines a new family of highly conserved vertebrate-specific genes.
abstract: A novel human gene has been identified by in-depth bioinformatics analysis of chromosome 21 segment 40/105 (21q21.1), with no coding region predicted in any previous analysis. Brain-derived DNA complementary to RNA (cDNA) sequencing predicts a 154-amino acid product with no similarity to any known protein. The gene has been named cysteine and tyrosine-rich protein 1 gene (symbol cysteine and tyrosine-rich 1, CYYR1). The CYYR1 messenger RNA was found by Northern blot analysis in a broad range of tissues (two transcripts of 3.4 and 2.2 kb). The gene consists of four exons and spans about 107 kb, including a very large intron of 85.8 kb. Analysis of expressed sequence tags shows high CYYR1 expression in cells belonging to the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation system. We also cloned the cDNA of the murine ortholog Cyyr1, which was mapped by a radiation hybrid panel on chromosome 16 within the region corresponding to that containing the respective human homolog on chromosome 21. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis led to identification of several genes encoding CYYR1 homologous proteins. The most prominent feature identified in the protein family is a central, unique cysteine and tyrosine-rich domain, which is strongly conserved from lower vertebrates (fishes) to humans but is absent in bacteria and invertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Istologia ed Embriologia Generale, Università di Bologna, Bologna-Centro di Ricerca in Genetica Molecolare Fondazione CARISBO, Bologna, Via Belmeloro, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casadei
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canaider
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strippoli
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Addabbo
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giannone
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carinci
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zannotti
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021101:Radiation Hybrid Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C464455:CYYR1 protein, human; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger