Description:
<jats:p>In this study, we describe the molecular cloning and characterization of a Src‐like adaptor protein gene embedded within the genomic organization of the human thyroglobulin (Tg) gene. This gene was identified by exon trapping on overlapping cosmids encompassing the largest Tg intron. A 2.6‐kb transcript, with the highest levels of expression in fetal brain and lung, was detected on Northern blots. Two full‐length cDNAs (one alternatively spliced) were isolated from a fetal brain library, both containing an open reading frame of 276 amino acids, but lacking a catalytic tyrosine kinase domain. The gene shows a high degree of cross‐species similarity and appears to be transcribed in the direction opposite to Tg. This gene, designated h<jats:italic>slap</jats:italic>, appears to be the human ortholog of the recently described gene for the murine Src‐like adaptor protein (mSLAP), a candidate intermediate in the signal‐transduction pathway of the Eck receptor tyrosine kinase. Human <jats:italic>slap</jats:italic> is located in the candidate region for a recessive demyelinating neuropathy on chromosome 8q24, but sequence analysis failed to identify mutations, suggesting that it is not the gene for this disease.</jats:p>