XDJ1, a gene encoding a novel non-essential DnaJ homologue from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The gene encoding a novel DnaJ-like protein, termed Xdj1, has been
identified by amplification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic
DNA. An open reading frame of 1380 bp was detected. Disruption of
XDJ1 did not yield any detectable new phenotype. A double-deletion
strain containing a disruption of both XDJ1 and YDJ1, another gene
coding for a DnaJ-like protein, was still viable. Under a variety
of growth conditions, no XDJ1 transcripts could be detected by
Northern blot analysis and no translation product was found by
immunoblotting with antibody against Xdj1 produced in Escherichia
coli. Thus, XDJ1 is either expressed only under very specific
conditions or represents a silent gene.