De-Hui Ku

Human gene for proliferating cell nuclear antigen has pseudogenes and localizes to chromosome 20

We have isolated from a human genomic library a pseudogene of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)gene. Its sequence shows a 78% similarity with the human PCNA/cDNA. The PCNAgene is located on human chromosome 20, while the pseudogene maps to chromosome region Xpter→Xq13. An additional locus detected by the full-length PCNA cDNA, but not by intron probes, segregates concordantly with chromosome region 6p12→6pter and probably represents a second pseudogene.

A human ADP/ATP translocase gene has seven pseudogenes and localizes to chromosome X

There are at least three transcriptionally active human ADP/ATP translocase genes. We have isolated seven ADP/ATP translocase pseudogenes from recombinant human genomic libraries. Each pseudogene sequence had more than 85% identity with the sequence of the human ADP/ATP translocase cDNA derived from fibroblast mRNA, but each had mutations that precluded synthesis of a functional protein. Using an intro probe derived from a partial clone of the human fibroblast ADP/ATP translocase gene, we localized the gene to chromosome Xq13 → Xq25-26. The gene encoding the skeletal muscle translocase has previously been shown to be on chromosome 4. Therefore, the human ADP/ATP translocase genes are members of a multigene family that includes pseudogenes and has been dispersed to at least two chromosomes.