Genomic Structure, Protein Character, Phylogenic Implication, and Embryonic Expression Pattern of a Zebrafish New Member of Zinc Finger BED-Type Gene Family.

We reported a new member of the CH-zinc-finger BED-type (ZBED) protein family found in zebrafish (). It was previously assigned as an uncharacterized protein LOC569044 encoded by the gene, the transcripts of which were highly expressed in the CNS after the spinal cord injury of zebrafish. As such, this novel gene deserves a more detailed investigation. The 2.79-kb gene contains one intron located on Chromosome 6 at 16,468,776-16,475,879 in the zebrafish genome encoding a 630-aa protein LOC569044. This protein is composed of a DNA-binding BED domain, which is highly conserved among the ZBED protein family, and a catalytic domain consisting of an α-helix structure and an dimerization region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the LOC569044 protein to be clustered into the monophyletic clade of the ZBED protein family of golden fish. Specifically, the LOC569044 protein was classified as closely related to the monophyletic clades of zebrafish ZBED4-like isoforms and ZBED isoform 2. Furthermore, transcripts represented maternal inheritance, expressed in the brain and eyes at early developmental stages and in the telencephalon ventricular zone at late developmental stages. After characterizing the LOC569044 protein encoded by the gene, it was identified as a new member of the zebrafish ZBED protein family, named the ZBEDX protein.