cDNA Cloning and Expression of the Human Homolog of the Sea Urchin fascin and Drosophila singed Genes Which Encodes an Actin-Bundling Protein

cDNA clones having extensive sequence identity with the sea urchin fascin and the Drosophila singed gene products were isolated from a human teratocarcinoma cDNA library. The human homolog, termed hsn, is a single-copy gene that was localized to human chromosome 7p22 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and is predicted to encode a 493-amino-acid product with a molecular mass of approximately 55,000. This protein would be similar in size to the fascin and singed proteins, as well as a previously described 55-kD actin-bundling protein that was purified from HeLa cells. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the 55-kD Hela protein were reactive against a bacterially expressed hsn fusion protein, indicating that the hsn gene probably encodes the 55-kD protein. The hsn mRNA was variably expressed in all human tissues analyzed and was highly expressed in actively growing renal carcinoma cell lines and in activated, but not in resting, lymphocytes, suggesting a functional role for hsn in proliferation. The fascin family lacks homology with other characterized actin-binding proteins, and the high degree of evolutionary conservation of these proteins indicates a functional importance of their actin-bundling properties.