A mutational hot-spot within an intron of the mouse beta 2-microglobulin gene.

beta 2-Microglobulin is the smaller, relatively non-polymorphic chain of class I major histocompatibility complex proteins. We have previously described a mutant mouse cell line which had been selected for loss of the class I thymus leukemia (TL) antigen and had concomitantly lost surface expression of H-2k antigens. Expression of class I antigens on the cell surface was restored by fusion to an antigenically distinct mouse lymphoma line, and the defect in the mutant was shown to be the loss of a functional beta 2-microglobulin gene. We now describe three additional mutants with the same phenotype, all selected for loss of TL but after different types of mutagenesis. All of these mutants have genomic rearrangements resulting in the absence of a functional beta 2-microglobulin gene. These data provide strong evidence for the requirement of beta 2-microglobulin for cell surface expression of the heavy chain of class I major histocompatibility complex proteins. We further show that the defects in at least one beta 2-microglobulin gene in each mutant cell line map to the same small DNA segment within the first intron. The breakpoints of these mutations define a hypermutable site within the mouse beta 2-microglobulin gene.     

Genotyping of five single nucleotide polymorphisms in the OCA2 and HERC2 genes associated with blue‐brown eye color in the Japanese population

Human eye color is a polymorphic phenotype influenced by multiple genes. It has recently been reported that three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within intron 1 of the OCA2 gene (rs7495174, rs4778241, rs4778138) and two SNPs in intron 86 (rs12913832) and the 3′ UTR region (rs1129038) of the HERC2 gene—located in the upstream of the OCA2 locus —have a high statistical association with human eye color. The present study is the first to examine in detail the genotype and haplotype frequencies for these five SNPs in an Asian (Japanese) population (n = 523) comprising solely brown‐eyed individuals. Comparison of the genotype and haplotype distributions in Japanese with those in African and European subjects revealed significant differences between Japanese and other populations. Analysis of haplotypes consisting of four SNPs at the HERC2‐OCA2 locus (rs12913832/rs7495174/rs4778241/rs4778138) showed that the most frequent haplotype in the Japanese population is A‐GAG (0.568), while the frequency of this haplotype is rather low in the European population, even in the brown‐eyed group (0.167). The haplotype distribution in the Japanese population was significantly different from that in the brown‐eyed European group (F_ST = 0.18915). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An oligodendrocyte enhancer in a phylogenetically conserved intron region of the mammalian myelin gene Opalin

Opalin is a transmembrane protein detected specifically in mammalian oligodendrocytes. Opalin homologs are found only in mammals and not in the genome sequences of other animal classes. We first determined the nucleotide sequences of Opalin orthologs and their flanking regions derived from four prosimians, a group of primitive primates. A global comparison revealed that an evolutionarily conserved region exists in the first intron of Opalin. When the conserved domain was assayed for its enhancer activity in transgenic mice, oligodendrocyte-directed expression was observed. In an oligodendroglial cell line, Oli-neu, the conserved domain showed oligodendrocyte-directed expression. The conserved domain is composed of eight subdomains, some of which contain binding sites for Myt1 and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB). Deletion analysis and cotransfection experiments revealed that the subdomains have critical roles in Opalin gene expression. Over-expression of Myt1, treatment of the cell with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and cAMP analog (CREB activator) enhanced the expression of endogenous Opalin in Oli-neu cells and activated the oligodendrocyte enhancer. These results suggest that LIF, cAMP signaling cascades and Myt1 play significant roles in the differentiation of oligodendrocytes through their action on the Opalin oligodendrocyte enhancer.     

SNP identification and analysis in part of intron 2 of goat MSTN gene and variation within and among species

Part of intron 2 of the myostatin (MSTN) gene of 140 goats from 24 populations and 38 sheep from 8 breeds were sequenced, and similar sequences of different species from Gene bank were also obtained to study MSTN diversity within and among species. The results indicated that there were seven polymorphic sites in the sequenced region of goat, which have not been separated by recombination (or recurrent mutation), presented complete linkage disequilibrium, and could be sorted into three haplotypes. There was no polymorphic site in the sequenced region of sheep. The haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity, and average number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences of goats from the South group are higher than those of North group, and the corresponding value of the Foreign group is also higher than that of Chinese. The genetic differentiation (0.7558) between the Foreign and Chinese group is significant. There are two main haplotypes of the MSTN intron 2 in the goat, which may represent two ancestral types, in support of the theory that domestic goats in the world mainly originated from two ancestors based on morphology, history, archaeology, and molecular markers. The sequence differences of the MSTN intron 2 among species are greater than those within species.     

C18orf2, a novel, highly conserved intronless gene within intron 5 of the GNAL gene on chromosome 18p11

We have characterized a novel intronless human gene (C18orf2) which is embedded in intron 5 of the G-protein gene (GNAL) on chromosome 18p11. This gene codes for a 199 amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular weight of 22.1 kDa. It is highly homologous to a number of predicted developmental proteins in organisms ranging from yeasts to Drosophila. C18orf2 mRNA was found to be expressed in various tissues.     

A polymorphism in a region with enhancer activity in the second intron of the human apolipoprotein B gene

A 443-base pair fragment (+622 to +1064) from the second intron of the human apolipoprotein B gene was shown to contain a tissue-specific enhancer when placed in front of an apolipoprotein B promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase construct in transfection experiments. To identify potential regulatory mutations in this region of the gene, DNA from various subjects was examined for the presence of point mutations by means of chemical cleavage of mismatched heteroduplexes. An A----G substitution within the second intron of the gene at position +722 was identified in three unrelated subjects and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Although the base substitution was contained within a nuclear protein-binding site, as determined by DNase I footprinting, it did not appear to affect the protein/DNA interaction in its vicinity, as shown by gel retardation experiments. The single base substitution at position +722 abolishes a StyI restriction site, thus creating a StyI polymorphism. Using allele-specific oligonucleotides, we screened the DNA of 172 subjects for the presence of this polymorphism: two other subjects carrying the polymorphism were found. In each of the five unrelated subjects, the polymorphism was associated with the same haplotype.     

A U6 snRNA gene with an internal promoter is juxtaposed to an snRNP protein sequence within an intron of a human G protein gene.

A complex locus on human chromosome 1 brings together sequences homologous to a G protein and two components of the RNA processing machinery of eukaryotic cells. Specifically, the seventh intron of the human Gi3 alpha gene contains a fusion of a partial snRNP E protein pseudogene to a variant U6 snRNA gene. The novel U6 sequence contains nine point mutations and a one nucleotide deletion relative to the major U6 genes from humans. Unlike all other vertebrate U6 genes characterized to date, the variant U6 gene is efficiently transcribed by RNA polymerase III even in the absence of all natural flanking sequences. The union of elements from the signal transduction pathway and the RNA processing machinery suggests the possibility of functional interplay.