Differential transcriptional pattern of the hemopexin gene.

In this paper we have analyzed the expression of the human hemopexin gene in different human tissues and cell lines by using the specific cDNA probe previously isolated. The results show that this gene is expressed in liver and, in lower amount, in hepatoma cell lines but not in kidney, spleen, placental cells, and in HeLa, fibroblast cell lines. We suggest that there must be cell-specific control mechanisms responsible for the specificity of expression. We have also determined, by S1 mapping, that the transcription initiation site in hepatic cells is 28 base pairs upstream from the AUG initiation codon of the hemopexin gene.