HFM1, the human homologue of yeast Mer3, encodes a putative DNA helicase expressed specifically in germ-line cells

Abstract

DNA helicases are known to play important roles in the maintenance of genome integrity including the replication of trinucleotide repeats in the cells. Here, we report the HFM1 gene, which encodes the putative human DNA helicase. The HFM1 gene comprises 39 exons mapping to human chromosome 1p22.2. The HFM1 cDNA encompasses 4931 nucleotides with a single open reading frame (ORF) of 1435 amino acid residues encoding a predicted 172 kDa protein (hHFM1). The deduced protein sequence shares similar domain and motif structures to those of Mer3, a DNA helicase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; seven consecutive motifs conserved among the DEXH-box type of DNA/RNA helicases at the N-terminal and a single putative zinc finger motif at the C-terminal regions of the protein. Further, the HFM1 transcript is preferentially expressed in testis and ovary. Collectively, hHFM1 is the evolutionally conserved putative human DNA helicase, which may function as a modulator for genome integrity in germ-line tissues.