Four Ubiquitously Expressed Genes,RD(D6S45)–SKI2W(SKIV2L)–DOM3Z–RP1(D6S60E), Are Present between Complement Component Genes FactorBandC4in the Class III Region of the HLA

The association of the HLA class III region with many diseases motivates the investigation of unidentified genes in the 30-kb segment between complement component genesBfandC4. RD,which codes for a putative RNA binding protein, is 205 bp downstream ofBf. SKI2W(HGMW-approved symbol SKIV2L), a DEVH-box gene probably involved in RNA turnover, is 171 bp downstream ofRD(HGMW-approved symbol D6S45).RP1(HGMW-approved symbol D6S60E) is located 611 bp upstream ofC4.The DNA sequence between humanRDandRP1was determined and the exon–intron structure ofSKI2Welucidated.SKI2Wconsists of 28 exons. The putative RNA helicase domain of Ski2w is encoded by 9 exons. Further analysis of the 2.5-kb intergenic sequence betweenSKI2WandRP1led to the discovery ofDOM3Z.The full-length cDNA sequence ofDOM3Zencodes 396 amino acids with a leucine zipper motif. Dom3z-related proteins are present in simple and complex eukaryotes. InCaenorhabditis elegans,Dom3z-related protein could be involved in the development of germ cells. HumanRD–SKI2WandDOM3Z–RP1are arranged as two head-to-head oriented gene pairs with unmethylated CpG sequences at the common 5′ regulatory region of each gene pair. The ubiquitous expression pattern suggests that these four genes are probably housekeeping genes.