High Mobility Group Protein 20A (HMG20A)

High mobility group (HMG) proteins are nonhistone chromosomal proteins that contain a conserved DNA-binding domain called the HMG box. The full-length HMG20A cDNA encodes a deduced 347-amino acid protein. Northern blot analysis detected 2 major transcripts of approximately 4 and 9 kb and a barely detectable transcript of 1.5 kb. The 4-kb transcript is expressed almost ubiquitously, with highest expression in spleen, testis, and heart and lower levels in peripheral blood leukocytes. Brain expression is mostly uniform, with higher expression in cerebellum and lower levels in spinal cord and subthalamic nucleus. The 9-kb transcript is differentially expressed in spleen, testis, leukocytes, and brain and is barely detectable in other tissues.