Identification and expression analysis of C15orf3, a novel gene on chromosome 15q21.1-->q21.2.

We have isolated C15orf3, a novel human gene that lacks homology to any known gene family. The C15orf3 gene encodes a transcript of 1676 nt with an ORF of 187 amino acids and a predicted protein product size of 20.8 kDa. Northern blot analysis showed ubiquitous expression in adult tissues. EST database searching revealed the presence of C15orf3 homologs in rat and mouse. C15orf3 was mapped to chromosome 15q21.1-->q21.2 using the Stanford G3 radiation hybrid panel.