IFI-44 Background Information
The Interferon (IFN) family of proteins are able to alter the expression of a variety of target genes, thereby controlling a number of events within the cell. IFI-44 (interferon-induced protein 44), also known as p44 or MTAP44 (microtubule-associated protein 44), is a 444 amino acid protein that localizes to the cytoplasm and, upon induction by IFN-∫s, aggregates to form microtubular structures. Human IFI-44 shares 97% sequence similarity with its chimp counterpart, suggesting a conserved role between species. The gene encoding IFI-44 maps to human chromosome 1, which spans 260 million base pairs, contains over 3,000 genes and comprises nearly 8% of the human genome. Chromosome 1 houses a large number of disease-associated genes, including those that are involved in familial adenomatous polyposis, Stickler syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Gaucher disease, schizophrenia and Usher syndrome. Aberrations in chromosome 1 are found in a variety of cancers, including head and neck cancer, malignant melanoma and multiple myeloma.
