KH Homology Domain Containing Protein 1 (KHDC1)

By searching for genes similar to the 3 mouse Khdc1 genes, Pierre et al. (2007) identified a family of related genes in eutharian mammals. In human, this family includes KHDC1, DPPA5, OOEP, and ECAT1. The proteins encoded by these genes contain an atypical KH domain with amino acid changes at critical sites, suggesting that it may not bind RNA like canonical KH domains.In mouse, the 3 Khdc1 genes map to chromosome 1A4.Pierre et al. (2007) identified a family of KHDC1-related genes in eutherian mammals, but not in fish, bird, or opossum. These genes map to a single syntenic region in human, chimpanzee, macaque, dog, and bovine, but a paracentric inversion separated the genes in mouse and rat.