The epithelial cells of prostate gland secrete various secretory products that play an important role in the growth and differentiation of prostate gland. These secretory products have also been implicated in neuroendocrine differentiation of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate malignancy. We have cloned a prostate-derived cDNA encoding a novel protein with a predicted molecular weight of 78 kDa (P-78), and precisely mapped the cDNA sequence to chromosome 19. The p(78) gene has a complex genomic structure with 18 exons and 17 introns, The P-78 contains two conserved structural domains with limited similarity to domain D of synapsin I. The P-78 mRNA was expressed in various human cell lines. Western blot analysis using antibody specific for the P78 revealed the presence of the p(78) protein in the prostate cancer cell lines with much lower level in metastatic prostate cancer cell lines compared to that in a primary prostate cancer cell line. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.