Chromosome 11 Open Reading Frame 21 (C11orf21)

By database analysis, Zhu et al. (2000) identified C11ORF21, which encodes a 132-amino acid protein. They determined that C11ORF21 expresses 2 mRNA species with different 3-prime untranslated regions produced by alternative polyadenylation. Northern blot analysis detected 0.9- and 3.1-kb transcripts with strong expression in human heart. RT-PCR analysis detected expression in human heart, liver, lung, spleen, and testis. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy showed expression of a 14-kD primarily cytoplasmic protein in cultured cells. C11ORF21 was expressed biallelically in fetal liver despite its location in the imprinted region of chromosome 11p15.5.Zhu et al. (2000) determined that the C11ORF21 gene contains 4 exons.By genomic sequence analysis, Zhu et al. (2000) mapped the C11ORF21 gene to chromosome 11p15.5.