Identification of novel keratinocyte-secreted peptides dermokine-alpha/-beta and a new stratified epithelium-secreted protein gene complex on human chromosome 19q13.1.

We performed high-throughput in situ hybridization screening of sections of mouse epidermis using an equalized skin cDNA library as probes and identified a novel gene giving rise to two splicing variants, both of which are expressed in the spinous layer. This gene was mapped between two genes encoding keratinocyte-related peptides, suprabasin and keratinocyte differentiation-associated protein (Kdap), on human chromosome 19q13.1.