OBJECTIVE: Our efforts were to isolate expressed sequences in a region flanking ANK1 on chromosome 8p11.2. METHODS: cDNA selection method was applied to isolate the expressed sequences from yeast artificial chromosomes(YAC) mapped to the region flanking ANK1 and one of the expressed sequences was isolated for the screening for human fetal brain cDNA library. RESULTS: Seven cDNA sequences were identified. Of these sequences, five were mapped back to their corresponding YAC. The remaining two sequences (BHLC26 and BHLC181) did not hybridize to any YAC used. BHLC152 was highly homologous to a gene for the musculus CArG box-binding factor. BHLC74 shared substantial identity with the gene encoding ventricular myosin alkali light chain 1 (MLC1), indicating that it might encode a MLC1 isoform. Partial sequence from other expressed sequences bore homology with some expressed sequences tagged with unknown function and without mapped data in the databases. BHLC119 was used as probe to screen cDNA libraries. One positive clone was sequenced. Its insert is 1,951 bp in length and encode a predicted 174 amino acids without homology with known proteins. One transcript of 3.5 kb was detected in total RNA from human fetal brain by Northern blotting. Tissue expression analysis suggests that it is a widely-expressed gene. CONCLUSION: BHLC74 may be considered a candidate gene for the 8p-related heart diseases. Other expressed sequences isolated might be used at least as candidates screening preliminarily for the tumor suppressor gene mapped to the region flanking ANK1 on 8p11.2.