Molecular cloning of the human gene STK10 encoding lymphocyte-oriented kinase, and comparative chromosomal mapping of the human, mouse, and rat homologues

 LOK is a new and unique member of the STE20 family with serine/threonine kinase activity, and its expression is restricted mostly to lymphoid cells in mice. We cloned the cDNA encoding the human homologue of LOK. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA shows a high similarity to that of mouse LOK, with 88% identity as a whole. The kinase domains at the N-terminus and the coiled-coil regions at the C-terminus are particularly conserved, showing 98% and 93% identity, respectively. Western blot analysis with mouse LOK-specific antibody detected 130 000 M _r LOK proteins in human and rat lymphoid cell lines and tissues. The gene encoding the LOK (STK10/Stk10) gene was mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to chromosome 5q35.1 in human, chromosome 11A4 in mouse, and chromosome 10q12.3 in rat. By virtue of polymorphic CA repeats found in the 3' untranslated region of the mouse Stk10 gene, the Stk10 locus was further pinpointed to chromosome 11 between D11Mit53 and D11Mit84, using the intersubspecific backcross mapping panel. These results established STK10 as a new marker of human chromosome 5 to define the syntenic boundary of human chromosomes 5 and 16 on mouse chromosome 11. Received: 28 September 1998 / Revised: 2 November 1998     

Isolation of a cDNA encoding the adenovirus E1A enhancer binding protein: a new human member of the ets oncogene family.

The cDNA encoding adenovirus E1A enhancer-binding protein E1A-F was isolated by screening a HeLa cell lambda gt11 expression library for E1A-F site-specific DNA binding. One cDNA clone produced recombinant E1A-F protein with the same DNA binding specificity as that endogenous to HeLa cells. Sequence analysis of the cDNA showed homology with the ETS-domain, a region required for sequence-specific DNA binding and common to all ets oncogene members. Analysis of the longest cDNA revealed about a 94% identity in amino acids between human E1A-F and mouse PEA3 (polyomavirus enhancer activator 3), a recently characterized ets oncogene member. E1A-F was encoded by a 2.5kb mRNA in HeLa cells, which was found to increase during the early period of adenovirus infection. In contrast, ets-2 mRNA was significantly reduced in infected HeLa cells. The results indicate that E1A enhancer binding protein E1A-F is a member of the ets oncogene family and is probably a human homologue of mouse PEA3.     

Novel gene hKCNE4 slows the activation of the KCNQ1 channel

The KCNE genes encode small, single transmembrane domain peptides that associate with pore-forming potassium channel subunits to form mixed complexes with unique characteristics. We have identified a novel member of the human KCNE gene family, hKCNE4. The hKCNE4 gene encodes 170 amino acid protein and is localized to chromosome 2q35-36. The protein sequence shows 90% homology to mouse KCNE4 and 38% identity to human KCNE1. Northern blot analysis revealed that hKCNE4 is expressed strongly in heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney, less in placenta, lung, and liver, and weakly in brain and blood cells. Electrophysiological study showed that hKCNE4 modulates the activation of the KCNQ1 channel.     

Isolation and chromosomal assignment of a novel human gene, CORO1C, homologous to coronin-like actin-binding proteins

We have isolated a gene, termed CORO1C (human coronin-like actin-binding protein 1C), that encodes a new member of the coronin-like family of proteins. The cDNA consists of 3,857 nucleotides, with an open reading frame of 1,422 bp encoding a 474 amino acid protein. The deduced amino acid sequence shared 65% identity with p57 (human coronin-like actin-binding protein), as well as 46% identity with coronin, a protein first isolated from the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Computer analysis predicted that the product of the CORO1C gene would contain five WD repeats in its N-terminal region and a coiled-coil motif in its C-terminal region, both of which are conserved among coronin-like proteins. CORO1C was ubiquitously expressed in all human tissues examined, in contrast to other known coronin-like molecules, each of which is expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Immunocytochemical staining demonstrated that CORO1C was co-localized with F-actin; therefore, the gene product is likely to be important in cytokinesis, motility, and signal transduction, as are the other members of this molecular family. We assigned this novel gene to chromosome 12q24.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.     

小鼠睾丸凋亡基因MSRG-11的人类同源基因SPATA17的克隆

利用生物信息学方法结合实验手段克隆了一个在睾丸组织中特异高表达的小鼠生精细胞凋亡相关基因Spata17的人类同源基因SPATA17（GenBank登录号为AY963797）。应用生物信息学分析显示该基因定位在染色体1q41,包含11个外显子,内含子和外显子交界区均符合gt—ag规则;该基因开放阅读框为1083bp编码一个由361个氨基酸组成的、分子量为43．49kD、等电点为9．71、含有三个保守IQ功能域的蛋白;对SPATA17编码蛋白质进行生物信息学分析,无跨膜区,无信号肽序列,推测为一非分泌性蛋白。多组织和Northern blot结果显示该基因只在睾丸组织中特异高表达,转录本大小为2．0kb。总之,研究表明SPATA17在睾丸组织生精细胞凋亡起重要作用。     

Cloning, characterization and genomic organization of LCC-1 (scya16), a novel human CC chemokine expressed in liver

By homology search of expressed sequence tags (EST) in GenBank a novel member of the CC chemokine family was identified. The full-length sequence of this liver-specific CC chemokine (LCC-1) predicted a mature protein of 97 amino acids with 31-48% identity to other CC chemokines. There was a characteristic amino acid C-term extension when aligned with other chemokines. Northern blot analysis from a panel of human tissues revealed that LCC-1 mRNA expression is restricted to adult and fetal liver. Different polyadenylation results in two mRNA species of 1.5 kb and 0.5 kb in size. LCC-1 is constitutively expressed in human HepG2 hepatoma cells and is induced by hypoxic exposure. The promoter region of the LCC-1 gene contains potential HIF-1 binding sites. The EST for LCC-1 has been previously mapped to the CC chemokine cluster on human chromosome 17q11.2. The organization of the LCC-1 gene (scya16) into three exons interrupted by two introns is identical to that found for other members of the CC chemokine family.     

Sequence, genomic structure and tissue expression of Human BRI3, a member of the BRI gene family

The BRI3 gene is a member of the BRI gene family, made up of at least three different genes (BRI1-3). Previous studies established the cDNA sequence and structure of the human and mouse BRI1 and BRI2 genes and we recently reported that mutations in the BRI2 isoform, located on chromosome 13, are associated with dementia in humans. In the present work, we determine the complete cDNA sequence and genomic organization of the human BRI3 gene. BRI3 codes for a polypeptide of 267 amino acids, with a Mr of 30 KDa and a pI of 8.47. The amino acid sequence is 43.7% identical to the sequence of the human BRI2, and 38.3% identical to that of human BRI1, with the highest percentage of amino acid identity being concentrated on the C-terminal half of the molecules. In Northern blots, BRI3 cDNA hybridizes only one message of approximately 2.1 kilobases, which is predominantly present in the human brain. The BRI3 gene is localized on chromosome 2 and consists of six exons spanning more than 20 kb. Homology search of EST data banks retrieved a Caenorhabditis briggsae homolog of BRI, indicating that the BRI gene belongs to a strongly conserved gene family. These studies, aimed at characterizing the members of the BRI gene family, may provide valuable clues to the understanding of their normal function and how mutations in BRI2 can cause neurodegeneration and dementia similar to Alzheimer's disease.     

A novel human cytochrome P450 4F isoform (CYP4F11): cDNA cloning, expression, and genomic structural characterization

By a combination of cDNA library screening and rapid amplification of cDNA ends analysis, a novel human cytochrome P450 4F isoform has been cloned and sequenced. The new 4F isoform is designated CYP4F11 and contains 1765 nucleotides. The coding region encodes 524 amino acid residues, and the heme-binding region is highly conserved. The CYP4F11 amino acid sequence has 80.0, 82.3, and 79.2% identity to CYP4F2, CYP4F3, and CYP4F8 amino acid sequences, respectively. In vitro translation shows the molecular mass of CYP4F11 is approximately 57 kDa, consistent with the calculated molecular mass. CYP4F11 is expressed mainly in human liver, followed by kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle. The genomic structure of CYP4F11 was solved by database searching and computer analysis. The coding region of CYP4F11 has 12 exons. The CYP4F11 gene is located 16 kb upstream of the CYP4F2 gene on chromosome 19. This is consistent with the notion that the human cytochrome P450 4F genes form a cluster on chromosome 19.     

Identification and genetic mapping of the mouse Fkbp9 gene encoding a new member of FK506-binding protein family.

We have isolated a gene from a cDNA library generated from the thymus of a mouse with severe combined immune deficiency, termed FKBP9, that encodes a protein related to FK506-binding protein 6 (65 kDa, FKBP65). FKBP9 contains four peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) signature and two EF-hand domains which is identical to FKBP6/65 in overall structural organization. However, the two proteins share only 66% amino acid identity. FKBP9 is expressed at high levels in mouse heart, muscle, lung, and kidney. While FKBP6 was previously mapped to chromosome 11, the Fkbp9 gene was mapped to mouse chromosome 6 by analysis of a multilocus cross. These results identify a new member of the mouse FKBP protein family located on a separate chromosome.     

Isolation of a cDNA encoding a novel GTP-binding protein of Arabidopsis thaliana

A cDNA encoding for a 68 kDa GTP-binding protein was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana (aG68). This clone is a member of a gene family that codes for a class of large GTP-binding proteins. This includes the mammalian dynamin, yeast Vps1p and the vertebrate Mx proteins. The predicted amino acid sequence was found to have high sequence conservation in the N-terminal GTP-binding domain sharing 54% identity to yeast Vps1p, 56% amino acid identity to rat dynamin and 38% identity to the murine Mx1 protein. The northern analysis shows expression in root, leaf, stem and flower tissues, but in mature leaves at lower levels. Southern analysis indicates that it may be a member of a small gene family or the gene may contain an intron.