AlkB, Alkylation Repair Homolog 4 (ALKBH4)

By database analysis to identify sequences similar to ABH genes, followed by PCR of a testis cDNA library, Tsujikawa et al. (2007) cloned ALKBH4, which they called ABH4. The deduced 302-amino acid protein has a C-terminal AlkB homology domain that is predicted to function as a 2-oxoglutarate- and Fe(II)-dependent oxygenase domain. Quantitative real-time PCR detected variable ABH4 expression in all 16 tissues examined, with highest expression in pancreas, ovary, and spleen. Fluorescence-tagged ABH4 was expressed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of transfected HeLa cells.Hartz (2010) mapped the ALKBH4 gene to chromosome 7q22.1 based on an alignment of the ALKBH4 sequence with the genomic sequence (GRCh37).