Structural organization of the 3'' half of the rat thyroglobulin gene

We report the structural organization of an 80 Kb segment of rat DNA, which encodes for about 40% of Thyroglobulin mRNA at the 3' end. The codogenic information included in this segment is splitted in 17 exons of homogeneous size (about 200 bp). The seven exons at the extreme 3' end have been precisely defined by DNA sequence analysis. No clear sequence homology is found among the exons, even though their coding capacity is quite similar, from 55 to 63 aminoacids residues. We located 2 hormonogenic (T4 forming) sites on the extreme 3' end of the gene in different exons. The DNA sequence coding for these functional sites shows a 70% homology in a 50 nucleotides segment. In addition we found a remnant of this sequence in other exons of the gene. Two large introns have been found on the 3' end of the gene: one is 17 Kb and the other one is more than 30 Kb long. On the basis of these findings and of preliminary studies on the remaining 5' end of the gene, we can predict that the minimum length of the rat TGB gene will be 150 Kb, which makes this gene the largest so far identified eukaryotic gene. We propose in addition that the 3' end exons arose by duplication of a common ancestor.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of ovine alpha-lactalbumin mRNA

The nucleotide sequence of ovine alpha-lactalbumin mRNA has been determined by chemical sequencing of two cDNA recombinant plasmids and a primer extension product. Ovine alpha-lactalbumin mRNA contains 723 nucleotides (excluding the poly(A) tail), with a 5' non-coding region of 26 nucleotides, followed by the 426 nucleotides of the coding region which determines a sequence signal of 19 amino acid residues and the 123 amino acid residues of mature alpha-lactalbumin. The coding region is followed by a 3' untranslated sequence of 271 nucleotides. The derived amino acid sequence of ovine pre-alpha-lactalbumin differs from that of its bovine counterpart by 8 amino acid substitutions, all but one originating from single mutations. Comparison of sequences of guinea pig, rat and human alpha-lactalbumin mRNAs with their ovine and bovine counterparts has revealed that these molecules have rapidly evolved. The highest degree of conservation was observed in the region coding for the mature protein and corresponds essentially to sequences which interact with UDP-galactosyltransferase and Ca2+ ions.     

Isolation and complete nucleotide sequence of the gene for bovine parathyroid hormone

The structure of the bovine parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene has been analyzed by Southern blot hybridization of genomic DNA and by nucleotide sequence analysis of a cloned PTH gene. In the Southern analysis, several restriction enzymes produced single fragments that hybridized to PTH cDNA suggesting that there is a single bovine PTH gene. The restriction map of the cloned gene is the same as that determined by Southern blot analysis of bovine DNA. The sequence of 3154 bp of the cloned gene has been determined including 510 bp and 139 bp in the 5' and 3' flanking regions, respectively. The gene contains two introns which separate three exons that code primarily for: (i) the 5' untranslated region, (ii) the pre-sequence of preProPTH, and (iii) PTH and the 3' untranslated region. The gene contains 68% A + T and unusually long stretches of 100- to 150-bp sequences containing alternating A and T nucleotides in the 5' flanking region and intron A. The 5' flanking region contains two TATA sequences, both of which appear to be functional as determined by S1 nuclease mapping. Compared to the rat and human genes, the locations of the introns are identical but the sizes differ. Comparable human and bovine sequences in the flanking regions and introns are about 80% homologous.     

Characterization of the gene for prostate-specific antigen, a human glandular kallikrein

The gene for the human glandular kallikrein, prostate-specific antigen, has been cloned. The sequence of 7130 nucleotides encompassing the gene and 633 bp of 5' and 639 bp of 3' flanking DNA has been determined. The translation initiation site was slightly heterogeneous, yielding 5' non-translated leader sequences of 41 and 35 bp. The gene is divided into five exons, with introns located at positions identical with those found in other glandular kallikrein genes. The nucleotide sequence is very similar to that of the human kallikrein gene hGK-1, with 76 to 93% of the nucleotides being identical in the exons and 76 to 87% in the introns. The similarity also extends approximately 200 bp into the sequence flanking the 5' end of hGK-1 and several other, both human and rodent, glandular kallikrein genes.     

Cloning of two different 5' untranslated exons of bovine acidic fibroblast growth factor by the single strand ligation to single-stranded cDNA methodology.

In an attempt to characterize the 5' UTR of the aFGF mRNAs we used the new anchored PCR methodology, single strand ligation to ss-cDNAs (SLIC). In bovine brain and retina, two kinds of aFGF cDNA clones were isolated. They contained two alternative exons located 34 bp upstream to the translation initiation codon ATG. Taking into account the number of clones specific for each exon, the two mRNAs are expressed with the same ratio in both tissues. One of these bovine 5' UTR exons (136 bp) showed 81% identity to a human 5' UTR exon, the second one (323 bp) was 70% identical to the second human 5' UTR exon with a central region of 90 nucleotides showing 41% identity. The conservation of the splicing positions for these 5' UTR alternate exons in both bovine and human species, suggests that the overall structure of the aFGF gene is conserved in mammals. Furthermore, the conservation of the nucleotide sequences and of the localization of these 5' UTR exons suggests that these non-coding regions may be involved in the control of aFGF gene expression.     

Isolation, partial sequence and asynchronous appearance during lactation of lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin in the milk of a marsupial, the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

1. Lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin from the milk of the common ringtail possum have been purified and partially sequenced. 2. The lysozyme had similar enzymic activity to the c-type lysozyme of the domestic hen and 43% homology over the N-terminal 49 residues. 3. alpha-Lactalbumin was present in the milk in two biologically active forms; the more acidic form had 66% sequence homology with the N-terminal 35 residues of red-necked wallaby, 54% with human and 43% with bovine alpha-lactalbumin. 4. SDS polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of milk samples showed that alpha-lactalbumin was present in the milk throughout lactation but that lysozyme first appeared only in mid-lactation. The implications of this functional adaptation are discussed.     

Nucleotide sequence and genomic organization of a human T lymphocyte serine protease gene

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of 4508 base pairs of human genomic DNA which contain the human serine esterase gene from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (SECT) (equivalent to the 1-3E cDNA clone) and include 879 bp of 5' flanking DNA and 393 bp of 3' flanking DNA. The gene consists of five exons of 88, 148, 136, 261, and 257 nucleotides separated by four introns of 1043, 455, 205, and 643 nucleotides. The location of introns with respect to protein coding sequences in the SECT gene is identical to that of the human cathepsin G and murine granzyme B genes. Comparison of SECT gene exonic sequences to murine granzyme B-F cDNA sequences indicates similarities of 75 and 72% for granzymes B and C and 61, 59, and 61% for granzymes D, E, and F, respectively. The 5' flanking sequence of the SECT gene showed similarity only to the 5' flanking sequence of the murine granzyme B gene, indicating that these genes are homologous. Comparison of the SECT gene sequence to the human cathepsin G sequence indicated no similarity in the 5' flanking DNA although the exonic sequences show 64% sequence similarity overall and 45% sequence similarity in the respective 3' untranslated regions. These similarities suggest that the SECT and cathepsin G genes are members of the same family of serine protease genes. Evidence from high and low stringency Southern transfer analysis of human genomic DNA indicates the presence of another gene of at least 85% sequence similarity to the SECT gene.     

Evolution of nucleic acids coding for ribonucleases: the mRNA sequence of mouse pancreatic ribonuclease

The cDNA of mouse pancreatic mRNA has been cloned. After the library was screened with a rat ribonuclease cDNA probe, the positive clones were isolated and sequenced. There were no differences from the previously determined protein sequence. The mRNA codes for a preribonuclease of 149 amino acid residues including a signal peptide of 25 amino acids. The 3' noncoding region has a length of 260 bp, and the total mRNA length is approximately 940 bp. Comparison with the rat pancreatic ribonuclease sequence showed a high rate of nucleotide substitution. Within the coding region, nonsynonymous and synonymous substitution rates are 4.3 X 10(-9) and 15 X 10(-9) nucleotide substitutions/site/year, respectively. The latter value is one of the highest rates observed in the molecular evolution of mammalian nuclear genes. In the signal sequences the synonymous substitution rate is much lower and about the same as the nonsynonymous rate. Signal sequences of other mouse and rat proteins also exhibit little difference between synonymous and nonsynonymous rates. The sequences of rat and mouse pancreatic ribonuclease messengers were compared with those of bovine pancreatic, seminal, and brain ribonuclease. While the 3' noncoding regions of rat and mouse are very similar, as are those of the three bovine messengers, there is no significant similarity between both rodent and the three bovine messengers for the greater part of these regions. There is a duplication of approximately 50 nucleotides in the 3' noncoding region of the bovine messengers, with a region rich in A and C in between. The presence of this structural feature may be correlated with recent gene duplications that have occurred in the bovine genome.     

Partial characterization of bovine elastin gene; comparison with the gene for human elastin

A 14 kilobase (kb) genomic clone of the gene for bovine elastin, containing exons 1 and 2, has been characterized. This clone extends about 6.5 kb in the 5' direction from the initiation codon and 978 nucleotides in the 3' direction from exon 2. The size of the first intron is about 6.4 kb. The sequence immediately 5' to the initiation codon is highly conserved between the genes for bovine and human elastins and contains a TATA box consensus sequence (ATAAA), CAAT, and Sp1 binding sites. Several putative AP-2 binding sites are also present. Comparative analysis of the sequences flanking the first exon in the genes for bovine and human elastins identified conserved sequences that may be regulatory control elements. A putative enhancer core sequence is present in the first intron of the genes for bovine and human elastins.     

Sequences of complete cDNAs encoding four variants of chicken skeletal muscle troponin T

cDNAs containing the complete coding sequences of four isoforms of troponin T derived from 1-week-old chick skeletal muscle have been isolated and sequenced. While the 5' and 3' untranslated regions and most of the coding sequence were identical for each, dramatic differences were observed in the NH2-terminal region corresponding to amino acid residues 10-37 of rabbit skeletal troponin T. These sequence differences correspond to the alternatively spliced but not mutually exclusive exons 4 to 8 of the rat skeletal muscle troponin T gene. In addition, we observe a sequence corresponding to an extra exon or exons (between 5 and 6) present in the chicken skeletal muscle gene and not previously detected in the rat skeletal or chicken cardiac genes. This sequence of 63 nucleotides consists of an almost perfect repeat of 30 and 33 nucleotides and has previously been shown to be represented as a protein variant in chicken skeletal muscle. A difference is also present in one cDNA clone corresponding to the alternatively spliced (mutually exclusive) exons 16 and 17 of the rat gene. In the protein, this corresponds to a region implicated in the interaction of troponin T with troponin C, tropomyosin, and perhaps troponin I and F-actin.     

The nucleotide sequence of rabbit embryonic globin gene beta 3

The nucleotide sequence of a rabbit embryonic globin gene, beta 3, has been determined from 161 base pairs (bp) on the 5' side of the mRNA cap site to 209 base pairs beyond the 3' poly A addition site. The 5' and 3' ends of mRNA from both embryonic globin genes beta 3 and beta 4 have been determined by an S1 protection assay. Sequences that are highly conserved in the 5' flanking region of eukaryotic structural genes, AATAAAA and CCAAT, are located -25 to -31 nucleotides and -81 to -85 nucleotides, respectively, before the cap site. The CCAAT sequence is duplicated at -108 to -112 nucleotides, as it is in the human fetal gamma-globin genes. Small (124 bp) and large (817 bp) intervening sequences are located between codons 30 and 31 and between 104 and 105, respectively. The sequence AATAAA precedes the predominant poly(A) addition site by 19 nucleotides. Although rabbit globin gene beta 3 is transcribed and translated almost exclusively in embryonic erythrocytes, it shares striking homology with the human gamma-globin genes which are expressed in erythrocytes from fetal liver. The evolutionary conservation of rabbit beta 3 and human gamma correlates well with their similar chromosomal positions in the two genes families.