Cloning and characterization of a novel member of the human mad gene family (MADH6)

MAD (mothers against decapentaplegic)-related proteins (MADRs) are intracellular components that play critical roles in signal-transduction pathways involving the transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) superfamily, Some Mad genes are candidates for tumor-suppressor functions, From a human fetal brain cDNA library we have isolated a novel Mad-related gene. Two alternatively transcribed mRNAs encode deduced 430- and 467-amino-acid peptides that showed high levels of similarity to MADR1/Smad1/hMAD1 (about 80% identity at the amino acid level), This gene, which we designated. MADH6, resides on 13q12-q14 between BRCA2 and RE, a region that frequently displays loss of heterozygosity in breast, liver, and prostate cancers. (C) 1997 Academic Press.