Serpin Peptidase Inhibitor Clade A Member 11 (SERPINA11)

SERPINA11 belongs to the serpin family. The human serpin gene cluster at 14q32.1 is a useful model system for studying the regulation of gene activity and chromatin structure. The six known serpin genes in this region were organized into two subclusters of three genes each that occupied approximately 370 kb of DNA. The genomic regions proximal and distal to the serpin cluster contain a variety of unrelated gene sequences of diverse function. To gain insight into the chromatin organization of the region, sequences with putative nuclear matrix-binding potential were identified by using the MAR-Wiz algorithm, and these MAR-Wiz candidate sequences were tested for nuclear matrix-binding activity in vitro. Several differences between the MAR-Wiz predictions and the results of biochemical tests were observed.