DEAD Box Polypeptide 43 (DDX43)

To identify genes with tumor-specific expression, Martelange et al. (2000) applied a cDNA subtraction approach, i.e., representational difference analysis, to a human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line. They obtained 2 cDNAs that appeared to be tumor specific and named the corresponding genes SAGE and HAGE because they had the same pattern of expression as genes of the MAGE family.

The putative HAGE protein contains 648 amino acids and is a member of the DEAD box family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases. Northern blot analysis detected expression of a 2.2-kb HAGE transcript in tumors of various histologic types at a level that was 100-fold higher than that observed in normal tissues, except for testis.