Abstract
Hurpin (protease inhibitor 13; PI13) is the most recently identified member of the ovalbumin family of serine protease inhibitors (serpins). It is expressed in human epidermal keratinocytes and is downregulated by exposure to ultraviolet irradiation. A role for hurpin in the proliferation or differentiation of keratinocytes has been proposed because of its strong expression in proliferating cells and its deregulated expression in the lesional epidermis of psoriatic patients. Here, we report the cloning, chromosomal localization, and complete sequence of the human hurpin gene. By PCR-based screening of the GeneBridge 4 radiation hybrid panel, we mapped the gene to chromosome 18q21.3, close to a known cluster of ov-serpin genes. Using the full-length cDNA for hurpin, we identified two clones from an arrayed genomic P1 placental library that contain the entire hurpin gene. Sequencing revealed that the gene covers 12.253 kb and is comprised of eight exons and seven introns. The exon-intron boundaries are identical in position and phasing to those in other members of the 18q serpin gene cluster, and analysis of hurpin variants indicated that modified functional inhibitors, differing only in the CD interhelical loop, can be generated by differential splicing of exon 3. These data show that hurpin is a typical member of the 18q ovalbumin-serpins most closely related to the serpins squamous-cell carcinoma antigens 1 and 2.
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