The carboxy-terminal end of the candidate tumor suppressor gene HIC-1 is phylogenetically conserved

HIC-1 (hypermethylated in cancer), a new candidate tumor suppressor gene located in 17p13.3, encodes a protein with five Kruppel-like C2H2 zinc finger motifs and a N-terminal protein-protein interaction domain called BTB/POZ. These two domains appeared as the only conserved regions found between human HIC-1 and its avian homologue, gamma FBP-B, isolated as a transcriptional repressor of the gamma F-Crystallin gene. We have recloned the HIC-1 gene and found four nucleotide differences within the 3' part of its published coding sequence. The corrected HIC-1 C-terminal end exhibits now significant homology (70%) to the chicken gamma FBP-B C-terminal end and appears thus as a third phylogenetically conserved domain that may serve an important, yet unknown function in HIC-1. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.