Identification of murine and human XCP1 genes as C/EBP-epsilon-dependent members of FIZZ/Resistin gene family

The CCAAT enhancer binding protein epsilon (C/EBP-epsilon) transcription factor is expressed predominantly in granulocytes. Mice with a disruption of the C/EBP-epsilon gene fail to produce mature granulocytes and eosinophils. Cells derived from the peritoneal exudates of C/EBP-epsilon -/- mice lack the expression of a number of chemokines and Chemokine Receptor genes. We have found a novel C/EBP-epsilon-dependent promyelocyte-specific gene, mXCP1. mXCP1 belongs to a family of XCP/FIZZ/Resistin genes, which includes four murine genes and two human genes, hXCP1 and hXCP2. These genes have four exons and encode short secreted proteins sharing a ten-cysteine motif. Murine mXCP1, mXCP2 and mXCP3 genes map to murine chromosome 16 and mXCP4 is positioned on chromosome 8; the hXCP1 and hXCP2 genes are located at homologous regions of chromosomes 3 and 19. Introduction of an inducible C/EBP-epsilon gene into the NIH3T3 and myeloid cells from C/EBP-epsilon-null mice line revealed that the conditional expression of C/EBP-epsilon induced mXCP1. The HXCP1 gene was identified as a C/EBP-epsilon-dependent regulatory homologue of mXCP1. The expression data for other members of XCP/FIZZ gene family are presented. Further studies indicate that XCP1 is a secreted protein that is chemotactic to myeloid cells from C/EBP-epsilon-null mice and is able to interact directly with alpha-defensin.