Identification and Characterization of DPZF, a Novel Human BTB/POZ Zinc Finger Protein Sharing Homology to BCL-6

The C2H2 zinc finger protein family is one of the largest families of transcription factors. We identified a novel BTB/POZ zinc finger gene from human dendritic cells (DC), which encodes a 733-residue protein with a BTB/POZ domain at the N-terminal and 4 C2H2 zinc fingers at C-terminal. It was designated dendritic cell-derived BTB/POZ zinc finger (DPZF). DPZF protein shares closest homology to BCL-6, with the highest homology present in the BTB/POZ and zinc finger domains. Like BCL-6, DPZF gene is localized on chromosome 3. It is widely expressed in hematopoietic tissues, including DC, monocytes, B cells, and T cells. DPZF protein expression is detectable in lymphoid neoplasm with a molecular mass of 100 kD, especially in B lymphoma. These indicate that DPZF may be a transcription factor closely related to BCL-6, and may be involved in hematopoiesis, oncogenesis, and immune responses.