C2H2-546: a zinc finger protein differentially expressed in HTLV-1 infected T cells.

We report the cloning and characterization of a novel cDNA termed C2H2-546 which encodes a C2H2-type zinc finger protein. C2H2-546 RNA is expressed in the HTLV-1 infected T cells examined which were derived from HAM-TSP patients, but not in T cells derived from ATL patients. The C2H2-546 gene is conserved in humans and primates and maps to chromosome 10q11.2, a site associated with a variety of cancers. Thus, C2H2-546 is a candidate regulatory molecule important in the formation of these tumors, and may serve as an important marker to distinguish HTLV-1 infected ATL versus HAM-TSP T cell lineages.