Cytogenet Cell Genet 88:68–73 (2000) Chromosome localization and characterization of the mouse and human zinc finger protein 265 gene D.J. Adams, a L. van der Weyden, a A. Kovacic, b F.J. Lovicu, c N.G. Copeland, d D.J. Gilbert, d N.A. Jenkins, d P.A. Ioannou, e and B.J. Morris a a Gene Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Institute for Biomedical Research (F13), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW (Australia); b Department of Haematology, Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics Unit, South Eastern Area Laboratories Services, Randwick, NSW (Australia); c Department of Anatomy & Histology and Institute for Biomedical Research (F13), University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); d Mammalian Genetics Laboratory, ABL-Basic Research Program, National Cancer Institute-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, MD (USA); and e The Murdoch Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Melbourne, Vic. (Australia) Supported by grants from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the Australian Research Council, and the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (USA), under contract with ABL. Received 12 July 1999; revision accepted 12 October 1999. Request reprints from Prof. Brian J. Morris, Gene Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Institute for Biomedical Research (Bldg F13), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); telephone: 61-2-9351-3688; fax: 61-2-9351-2227; e-mail: brianm@physiol.usyd.edu.au. ABC Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-mail karger@karger.ch www. karger.com © 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel Accessible online at: www. karger.com/journals/ccg Abstract. The chromosome location and pattern of expres- sion of the gene encoding the zinc finger protein 265 (alias “Zis”) in human (ZNF265) and mouse (Zfp265) was deter- mined. By interspecific backcross analysis, we mapped Zfp265 to mouse chromosome 3q. ZNF265 was localized to human chromosome 1p31 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Since discovery of Zfp265 (in rat) came from studies of changes in renin expression in kidney cell lines, we examined the cell spec- ificity of expression in kidney and also determined hybridiza- tion of cDNA with RNA in other tissues. We found that expres- sion was not confined to renin mRNA-containing cells but was ubiquitous. Moreover, the fact that highly conserved homologs of ZNF265p exist in lower organisms (e.g., C4SR in Xenopus), suggests that this protein may have a generalized role in post- transcriptional mechanisms in various cell types and species. Copyright © 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel The cDNA encoding the zinc finger protein 265 (ZNF265p, alias “Zis”) was first cloned from rat renal juxtaglomerular (JG) cells based on a putative role in the control of the potent cardio- vascular regulator renin (Karginova et al., 1997). Zfp265 trans- cript was found in undifferentiated renin-expressing cells, but not in cells that had differentiated and lost their ability to express renin. This reflects developmental changes in distribu- tion of renin, which in neonates is found in myoepithelial cells throughout the afferent arteriole, but in mature animals expres- sion is retained only by cells in the JG region (Gomez et al., 1989). However, the former cells can be recruited back to express renin during chronic stimulation (Gomez et al., 1990), a phenomenon also seen in other tissues, such as heart (Lou et al., 1993). ZNF265p has two zinc finger domains, a Ser-Arg-rich domain, a glutamic acid-rich region, and a nuclear localization signal (NLS), features consistent with a role in mRNA binding or the splicing of primary RNA transcripts (Karginova et al., 1997). In eukaryotic cells mRNA-binding proteins and splicing factors play an important role in mRNA biogenesis, by binding to nascent transcripts to regulate maturation, processing, trans- port, stability, translation, and intracellular compartmentaliza- tion (Lopez, 1998). In an effort to gain an insight into the possible function of ZNF265p, we have cloned the mouse (Zfp265) and human (ZNF265) homologs of rat Zfp265 cDNA, and determined their chromosome locations, as well as their pattern of expres- sion in mouse kidney and other mouse and human tissues.