Zinc Finger, DHHC-Type Containing Protein 15 (ZDHHC15)

By searching for genes involved in an X chromosome breakpoint associated with mental retardation, followed by database analysis, Mansouri et al. (2005) identified several splice variants of the ZDHHC15 gene. The longest deduced protein contains 337 amino acids and has 2 N-terminal transmembrane segments followed by a central DHHC zinc finger domain and 2 C-terminal transmembrane segments. RT-PCR detected tissue-specific expression of several splice variants in placenta, liver, lung, kidney, heart, and brain.

ZDHHC15 gene is a strong candidate for nonsyndromic X-linked mental retardation. The breakpoint on chromosome 15 was located at least 4.5 Mb centromeric of the PWS region with a normal hybridization pattern using a PWS probe.