Organization of the chick CDC37 gene

CDC37 and the chaperone protein, Hsp90, form a complex that binds to several kinases, resulting in stabilization and promotion of their activity. CDC37 also binds DNA and glycosaminoglycans in a sequence-specific manner. In this study, we further characterize chick CDC37 and examine the organization of the CDC37 gene. Chick CDC37 is a ∼50-kDa protein encoded by an mRNA of ∼1.7 kilobases. The CDC37 gene is ∼8.5 kilobases and contains 8 exons and 7 introns of various sizes. The presumptive promoter and 5′-flanking regions contain an E2 box and consensus binding sites for SP1, for the S8 homeodomain protein, and for two zinc finger clusters within the myeloid progenitor transcription factor, MZF1. Particularly striking is a ∼470-base pair region composed of a highly repetitive 10–11-base pair sequence, (T/C)gCTAT(A/G)GGG(A/T) (where g represents the additional G present in the 11-base pair sequence). This region includes 15 copies of the sequence, TATGGGGA, which conforms to the DNA consensus sequence recognized by one of the zinc finger clusters in MZF1. These findings emphasize the potential importance of CDC37 in regulation of cellular behavior during tissue development and reorganization.