SCL (stem cell leukemia) gene, and a hematopoietic growth and differentiation factor encoded thereby

A new human gene, SCL, was identified. The gene was discovered because of its involvement in a chromosomal translocation associated with the occurrence of a stem cell leukemia manifesting myeloid and lymphoid differentiation capabilities. The sequence of a cDNA for the normal SCL transcript is reported, as well as for an aberrant fusion transcript produced in the leukemic cells. Although different at their 3' untranslated regions, both cDNAs predict a protein within which is contained a region of primary amino acid sequence homology to the previously described amphipathic helix-loop-helix DNA binding and dimerization motif also contained within a variety of proteins whose role in development, differentiation, and proliferation has already been established.