We have cloned a new member of human ankyrin repeat and SOCS box containing protein family (ASB), designed as hASB-8, from a human placental cDNA library and further extended by 5' and 3'-RACE. The full-length cDNA was 2545 bp in length, with a predicted open reading frame encoding a protein of 288 amino acids, which was 96%,, identical to mouse ASB-8 protein. Computer analysis revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of the human ASB-8 contained four Ankyrin repeats and one SOCS box. The gene had four exons separated by three introns and was mapped to human chromosome 12q13. Human ASB-8 mRNA was expressed at the highest level of expression in skeletal muscle and at a varied level of expression in heart, brain, placenta, liver, kidney, and pancreas. The transcript of hASB-8 was not detected in adult normal lung tissue, but found in lung carcinoma cell lines SPGA1, A549, and NCI-H446. Subcellular localization analysis showed that the EGFP-tagged hASB-8 protein was localized at cytoplasm in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line BEL-7402. We also provided evidence that hASB-8 could interact with Elongin B-C complex in vitro. Furthermore, transtection with the truncated mutant of hASB-8 cDNA lacking SOCS box could suppress cell growth of lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A1 cells in vitro, which suggests that this gene might be related to the development of lung cancer. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.