Genomic structure of the gene encoding the human GLI-related, Krüppel-like zinc finger protein GLIS2.

In this study, we describe the sequence and genomic structure of the human GLIS2 gene, encoding a new member of the Krüppel-like zinc finger protein family. GLIS2 is a relatively proline-rich, basic protein of 55.7 kDa in size. It contains five tandem Cys(2)-His(2) zinc finger motifs consisting of the consensus sequence X-Cys-X(2,4)-Cys-X(12,15)-His-X(3,4)-His-X. The sequence of the zinc finger domain exhibits highest homology with those of members of the GLI and ZIC subfamilies of Krüppel-like proteins. The zinc finger domain of GLIS2 exhibits highest (58%) homology with that of GLI-1. The human GLIS2 gene consists of six exons and five introns, and spans more than 7.5 kb. Primer extension identified several putative transcription initiation sites. GLIS2 mRNA is most abundantly expressed in human kidney suggesting a role in the regulation of certain kidney functions. The GLIS2 gene maps to human chromosome 16p13.3, a locus implicated in several human kidney diseases. The sequence and structure of human GLIS2 will be useful tools to study the regulation of GLIS2 and its potential role in human disease.