Genomic Characterization of Human HMGIC, a Member of the Accessory Transcription Factor Family Found at Translocation Breakpoints in Lipomas

HMGIC, a member of the HMGI family of high mobility group proteins, is disrupted in 3/3 lipomas characterized by 12q14–q15 rearrangements. To define the genomic structure of the HMGIC gene, YACs from the HMGIC locus were identified and subcloned in λ FIXII, and genomic λ clones containing the HMGIC exons were isolated. The HMGIC gene consists of five exons that span at least 60 kb and encodes a 4.1-kb transcript. The coding region is 330 bp, the 5′UTR is 854 bp, and the 3′UTR is 2966 bp. Intron 3, which separates the DNA-binding domains from the acidic domain, is unusually large (>25 kb) and is the site of disruption in lipomas with 12q14–q15 translocations. The genomic organization of HMGIC should further our understanding of the 12q14–q15 region, where other neoplasms of mesenchymal origin are also mapped.