Structure and expression of the human septin gene HCDCREL-1

Septins are a family of highly conserved filament-forming proteins that have been shown to mediate cytokinesis and cytoskeletal organization in fungi and Drosophila. The gene encoding the human septin family member HCDCREL-1 has been shown to be transcribed from a locus immediately adjacent to that of the platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib beta. The HCDCREL-1 gene possesses a non-consensus polyadenylation signal that apparently is not efficiently utilized, resulting in the expression of a readthrough transcript also containing the platelet GP1b beta coding region. As a first step in understanding the regulation and function of HCDCREL-1, we have analyzed the structure of this gene and characterized its expression in a variety of human cells. Our results indicate that the gene is expressed at high levels in platelets and neural tissue, and is transcriptionally complex. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.