Cloning and sequencing of the upstream region of the gene of the CC chemokine HCC-1 led to the discovery of an adjacent gene coding for a CC chemokine that was named ''HCC-2.'' The two genes are separated by 12-kbp and reside in a head-to-tail orientation on chromosome 17. At variance with the genes for HCC-1 and other human CC chemokines, which have a three-exon-two-intron structure, the HCC-2 gene consists of four exons and three introns. Expression of HCC-2 and HCC-1 as studied by Northern analysis revealed, in addition to the regular, monocistronic mRNAs, a common, bicistronic transcript. In contrast to HCC-1, which is expressed constitutively in numerous human tissues, HCC-2 is expressed only in the gut and the liver. HCC-2 shares significant sequence homology with CK8 and the murine chemokines C10, CCF18͞MRP-2, and macrophage inf lammatory protein 1␥, which all contain six instead of four conserved cysteines. The two additional cysteines of HCC-2 form a third disulfide bond, which anchors the COOHterminal domain to the core of the molecule. Highly purified recombinant HCC-2 was tested on neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes and was found to exhibit marked functional similarities to macrophage inf lammatory protein 1␣. It is a potent chemoattractant and inducer of enzyme release in monocytes and a moderately active attractant for eosinophils. Desensitization studies indicate that HCC-2 acts mainly via CC chemokine receptor CCR1.We recently have isolated and characterized a new human CC chemokine, HCC-1 (1), which is structurally similar to macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1␣ (46% amino acid identity) and occurs in high concentrations in human plasma like MIP-1␥ in murine blood. Northern blot analysis revealed that, in contrast to other chemokines, HCC-1 is expressed constitutively at high levels in numerous human tissues. We further showed that HCC-1 interacts with receptors that also recognize MIP-1␣ and RANTES and stimulates the proliferation of CD34 ϩ myeloid progenitor cells in vitro. In the present paper, we report the discovery and characterization of a CC chemokine, HCC-2, that arises from a gene that is arranged in tandem with the gene of HCC-1 on chromosome 17. Mono-as well as bicistronic transcripts of the two genes were detected. Recombinant HCC-2 was expressed and shown to act mainly on monocytes and eosinophils in a similar manner as MIP-1␣.
MATERIALS AND METHODSCell Culture. Cell lines (T84, HUH-7) were purchased from the American Type Culture Collection and maintained in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum.Oligonucleotides. The oligo-deoxyribonucleotides used were synthesized chemically (Perkin-Elmer) and are listed in Table 1.Gene Cloning and Characterization. A human genomic library in phage (Stratagene) was screened as described (2) by using a partial 269-bp, HCC-1-specific cDNA fragment (1) as a probe. Three independent clones were isolated, and the SstI restriction fragments of one of them were subcloned into pBSK ϩ . Both strands of the HCC-1 and HC...