Characterization of a Processed Pseudogene of Human ΨHSP40 on Chromosome 2q32

Abstract

A pseudogene for the human Hsp40 gene has been characterized (ΨHSP40). The pseudogene sequence shows 90% similarity to the human Hsp40 mRNA at the nucleotide level. No introns were found in the region corresponding to the human Hsp40 cDNA, and two direct repeats flank this same region. Because of these features, the pseudogene can be classified as a processed pseudogene. ΨHSP40 was assigned to chromosome 2q32 by in situ hybridization. This is the first report of a pseudogene for a member of the DnaJ (Hsp40) family protein gene.