Background of the antigen
Gene amplification is associated with tumor stage and progression in human gliomas. Several amplified loci are identified and comprise multiple genes. The glioma amplified sequence 41 (GAS41) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic protein found in diverse species. GAS41 is related to the AF-9 and ENL proteins, which are putative transcription factors in some acute leukemias, and interacts with a component of the nuclear matrix, NuMA, in interphase cells. GAS41 has a dotted staining pattern in interphase nuclei and a uniform distribution in mitotic cells. GAS41 is ubiquitously expressed, with the highest levels of expression in human brain. In neuroblastoma, GAS41 is located in the nucleoli, but not in the nucleoplasm. GAS41 also binds to the MLL fusion partner AF10, which is involved in two distinct chromosomal translocations associated with hematologic malignancy. In addition, GAS41 interacts with INI1 (Integrase Interactor), which is a human homologue of the yeast SNF5 protein, a component of the SWI/SNF complex. The GAS41 gene maps to human chromosome 12q13-q15.
