Absent, Small Or Homeotic 2 Like Protein (ASH2L)

A full-length ASH2L cDNA encoding a deduced 628-amino acid protein with 93.9% amino acid sequence identity to mouse Ash2l and 45.4% identity to Drosophila ash2. ASH2L contains a predicted PHD zinc finger domain, a putative bipartite nuclear localization signal, potential N-linked glycosylation sites, and potential tyrosine kinase phosphorylation sites. Northern blot analysis detected an approximately 2.6-kb ASH2L transcript in human adult and fetal tissues.

ASH2L was ubiquitously expressed, but it was predominantly expressed in adult heart and testis and fetal lung and liver, with barely detectable expression in adult lung, liver, kidney, prostate, and peripheral leukocytes. ASH2L functions as a transcriptional regulator.