A homeodomain-zinc finger protein, ZFHX4, is expressed in neuronal differentiation manner and suppressed in muscle differentiation manner

Human ZFHX4 has recently been shown to be a candidate gene for congenital bilateral isolated ptosis. Here, we report molecular cloning of the human ZFHX4 cDNA and genomic organization of this gene. Human ZFHX4 is about 180 kb long, containing 12 exons that encodes a 3599-amino acid protein carrying four homeodomains and 22 zinc fingers. The 11th exon is 3.2 kb in length and encodes all the four homeodomains together with four of the 22 zinc fingers. ZFHX4 is 90% homologous to mouse Zfhx4, 52% to human ATBF1A and 24% to Drosophila ZFH-2. ZFDX4 was mapped to human chromosome 8q13.3-q21.11 by fluorescence in situ hybridization using BAC clone R-P11-48D4 as a probe. RT-PCR analysis showed that ZFHX4 transcripts were expressed in adult human brain, liver and muscle. This, together with the finding that Zfhx4 was expressed transiently in differentiating P19 embryonal carcinoma cells and C2C12 myoblasts, suggests that ZFHX4/Zfhx4 is involved in neural and muscle differentiation.