MLL3, a new human member of the TRX/MLL gene family, maps to 7q36, a chromosome region frequently deleted in myeloid leukaemia

We characterized MLL3, a new human member of the TRX/MLL gene family. MLL3 is expressed in peripheral blood, placenta, pancreas, testes, and foetal thymus and is weakly expressed in heart, brain, lung, liver, and kidney. It encodes a predicted protein of 4911 amino acids containing two plant homeo domains (PHD), an ATPase alpha beta signature, a high mobility group, a SET (Suppressor of variegation, Enhancer of zeste, Trithorax) and two FY (phenylalanine tyrosine)-rich domains. The amino acid sequence of the SET domain was used to obtain a phylogenetic tree of human MLL genes and their homologues in different species. MLL3 is closely related to human MLL2, Fugu mll2, a Caenorhabditis elegans predicted protein, and Drosophila trithorax-related protein. Interestingly, PHD and SET domains are frequently found in proteins encoded by genes that are rearranged in different haematological malignancies and MLL3 maps to 7q36, a chromosome region that is frequently deleted in myeloid disorders. Partial duplications of the MLL3 gene are found in the juxtacentromeric region of chromosomes 1, 2, 13, and 21. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.