A cDNA from the ovarian cancer critical region of deletion on chromosome 17p13.3.

Chromosome 17p13.3 is frequently deleted in human ovarian carcinoma, and the 15 kb critical region of deletion may contain a tumor suppressor gene. A 2.3 kb cDNA has been identified which spans 17 kb of genomic DNA, including 8.1 kb within the critical region, and thus is a candidate tumor suppressor gene. This highly conserved gene has significant sequence similarity to a yeast gene of unknown function and to one of the yeast enzymes in the diphthamide synthetic pathway, DPH2, that has a role in global protein synthesis regulation. This gene, named DPH2L (diphthamide biosynthesis protein 2-like), is expressed in multiple tissues and stages of development.