Murine equivalent of the human histo-blood group ABO gene is a cis-AB gene and encodes a glycosyltransferase with both A and B transferase activity

We have cloned murine genomic and complementary DNA that is equivalent to the human ABO gene. The murine gene consists of at least six coding exons and spans at least 11 kilobase pairs. Exon-intron boundaries are similar to those of the human gene. Unlike human A and B genes that encode two distinct glycosyltransferases with different donor nucleotide-sugar specificities, the murine gene is a cis-AB gene that encodes an enzyme with both A and B transferase activities, and this cis-AB gene prevails in the mouse population. Cloning of the murine AB gene may be helpful in establishing a mouse model system to assess the functionality of the ABO genes in the future.