Zinc Finger, DHHC-Type Containing Protein 1 (ZDHHC1)

A unique clone from a human pancreatic cDNA library was isolated and sequenced. Examination of the deduced polypeptide sequence of the clone showed a new form of cysteine-rich domain that included a region with the form of a Cys4 zinc-finger-like metal binding site followed by a complex Cys-His region. Searches of the Swiss-Protein data bank found a similar 48-residue domain in fifteen open reading frames deduced from A. thaliana, C. elegans, S. cerevisiae and S. pombe genomic sequences. The high degree of conservation of this domain suggests that it has an important function in the cell, possibly related to protein-protein or protein-DNA interactions. ZDHHC1 recognized by the clone is is localized to human chromosome 16, and is conserved in vertebrates. The 2 Kb message is expressed in various human fetal and adult tissues.