By means of cDNA selection, a cDNA clone corresponding to a putative gene was isolated. The identified gene was mapped to human chromosome 19 (region 19q12) to the locus containing the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K LTR. The distance between the LTR and the cDNA fragment is about 20 kb. RT-PCR analysis of the total RNA revealed that the corresponding gene is preferentially expressed in the brain. ©1998 MAHK Hayka/Interperiodica Publishing.