Background
We have recently cloned and characterized a novel gene family named ancient conserved domain protein (ACDP) which encodes four protein members in humans [1]. We found that this gene family is evolutionarily conserved in diverse species ranging from bacteria, yeast, C. elegans, and D. melanogaster to mammals. The sequence conservation and the presence of multiple members within a species may imply functional importance associated with the genes. To facilitate the functional analysis of the ACDP gene family, we cloned and characterized Acdp, the mouse homologue of the human ACDP gene family.