Isolation of a cDNA clone for the liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM).

Liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM) is a calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule found in very early vertebrate embryos and on liver and other epithelial cells in adults. To describe the genes coding for the molecule and study its synthesis, we have cloned cDNA from poly(A)+ RNA of 10-day embryonic chicken liver using the delta gt11 expression vector. One clone, lambda L301, has been characterized and used in analyses of L-CAM mRNA and genomic DNA. Clone lambda L301 produced a fusion protein that reacted strongly with polyclonal antibodies that recognize L-CAM (Mr 124,000) and its Mr 81,000 NH2-terminal fragment, Ft1, released from liver membranes by trypsin. This result indicates that lambda L301 contains a cDNA insert complementary to protein coding sequence within the two-thirds of the mRNA coding region beginning at the 5' end. The 220-base-pair cDNA insert was isolated and used as a probe in hybridization experiments. RNA transfer blot analysis of poly(A)+ RNA showed a single 4-kilobase mRNA; Southern blot analysis showed multiple components consistent with the presence of one to three L-CAM genes. To test whether different tissues express different forms of L-CAM message, poly(A)+ RNA from eight embryonic organs was analyzed. Only organs that expressed L-CAM protein contained poly(A)+ RNA that hybridized to the lambda L301 probe; in all cases a single band, with the same mobility as that in liver, was observed. The L-CAM mRNA in each tissue was present in proportions similar to those detected previously for the L-CAM protein in these tissues. The combined results suggest that any possible heterogeneity in the L-CAM genes is not reflected in the size of either the mRNA or protein.     

Linear organization of the liver cell adhesion molecule L-CAM.

A linear model of the liver cell adhesion molecule L-CAM from embryonic chickens is proposed in terms of its orientation on the cell surface, the number, type, and distribution of carbohydrate moieties, and sites of phosphorylation. L-CAM is isolated from cell membranes as a glycoprotein of Mr = 124,000. A soluble fragment (Ft1) of Mr = 81,000 can be released from cells by digestion with trypsin in the presence of calcium. Radiochemical amino acid sequence analyses indicated that both polypeptides have the same sequence for the first 10 amino acids, suggesting that fragment Ft1 contains the amino terminus of the L-CAM molecule and that the carboxyl-terminal portion of the peptide chain is associated with the cell. Digestions with endoglycosidase H and endoglycosidase F indicated that Ft1 has all of the N-linked carbohydrate groups associated with the larger species, including one high mannose oligosaccharide and three complex oligosaccharides. When hepatocytes were grown in the presence of 32PO4, 32P was detected in phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues of intact L-CAM, but little or no 32P was detected in Ft1, suggesting that L-CAM is phosphorylated in the carboxyl-terminal region. On CNBr cleavage, the bulk of the 32P was detected in a single fragment of Mr = 20,000. The overall features of the L-CAM molecule incorporated in the model provide a basis for correlating its structure with its cell-cell binding activity and for detailed comparisons with similar molecules described in mammalian species.     

Sequence of a cDNA clone encoding the polysialic acid-rich and cytoplasmic domains of the neural cell adhesion molecule N-CAM.

Purified fractions of the neural cell-adhesion molecule N-CAM from embryonic chicken brain contain two similar polypeptides (Mr, 160,000 and 130,000), each containing an amino-terminal external binding region, a carbohydrate-rich central region, and a carboxyl-terminal region that is associated with the cell. Previous studies indicate that the two polypeptides arise by alternative splicing of mRNAs transcribed from a single gene. We report here the 3556-nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone (pEC208) that encodes 964 amino acids from the carbohydrate and cell-associated domains of the larger N-CAM polypeptide followed by 664 nucleotides of 3' untranslated sequence. The predicted protein sequence contains attachment sites for polysialic acid-containing oligosaccharides, four tandem homologous regions of polypeptide resembling those seen in the immunoglobulin superfamily, and a single hydrophobic sequence that appears to be the membrane-spanning segment. The cytoplasmic domain carboxyl terminal to this segment includes a block of approximately equal to 250 amino acids present in the larger but not in the smaller N-CAM polypeptide. We designate these the ld (large domain) polypeptide and the sd (small domain) polypeptide. The intracellular domains of the ld and sd polypeptides are likely to be critical for cell-surface modulation of N-CAM by interacting in a differential fashion with other intrinsic proteins or with the cytoskeleton.     

Structure of the gene for the liver cell adhesion molecule, L-CAM.

The liver cell adhesion molecule, L-CAM, mediates calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion in early embryos and in nonneural epithelia in adult tissues. Earlier studies of cDNAs for chicken L-CAM established the amino acid sequence of the mature protein. The sequence has now been extended in the 5' direction through the precursor and signal sequences and past a consensus translation initiation site. The combined cDNAs were used to isolate genomic clones covering the entire L-CAM coding sequence. The structural gene for chicken L-CAM contains 16 exons ranging in size from 115 to over 1045 base pairs with an average size of 222 base pairs. Single exons do not correspond to known structural elements such as the signal sequence, precursor segment, internal repeats, or membrane-spanning region of L-CAM. Hybridization of restriction digests of chicken genomic DNA with cDNA and genomic probes indicated that there is a single L-CAM gene in the chicken. In contrast to genes for other cell-cell or cell-substrate adhesion molecules, there is no evidence for alternative splicing of exons in this gene.     

Characterization of L-CAM, a major cell adhesion molecule from embryonic liver cells

We have developed a method for purifying L-CAM, the cell adhesion molecule from embryonic chicken liver cells, and have compared its properties with those of N-CAM, the neural cell adhesion molecule. L-CAM was released from membranes with trypsin, purified by a series of chemical techniques, and used to generate monoclonal antibodies which allowed the identification of the intact L-CAM molecule from membranes. The monoclonal antibodies were used to isolate trypsin-released L-CAM in a single step by affinity chromatography. Material purified by either technique was predominantly a component of M_r 81,000 on NaDodSO₄/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a pI of 4.0-4.5. Rabbit antibodies to this component and to the M_r 81,000 species that had been further purified on NaDodSO₄/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis displayed all of the activities of anti-L-CAM. Some of the trypsin-released L-CAM bound specifically to lentil lectin, suggesting that L-CAM is a glycoprotein. The apparent molecular weight of material having L-CAM antigenic determinants depended upon the procedures used to extract membranes; this appears to account for the various values reported previously in the literature. Both the rabbit serum antibodies and the monoclonal antibodies detected the M_r 81,000 species on immunoblots of unfractionated trypsin-released material. Immunoblots of whole liver cell membranes with the same antibodies revealed a major M_r 124,000 component, with minor components of M_r 94,000 and 81,000. Active L-CAM derivatives released by trypsin in the presence of EGTA were detected as a species of M_r 40,000. L-CAM derivatives obtained by extraction of membranes with EDTA alone appeared as species of M_r 53,000, 62,000, and 81,000. The combined results suggest that L-CAM on the cell surface is an acidic glycoprotein of M_r 124,000. In the presence of calcium, the molecule can be released from membranes by trypsin as a soluble M_r 81,000 fragment; in the absence of calcium, it is released by either endogenous proteases or by trypsin as a variety of smaller fragments.     

Isolation of a cDNA clone encoding pancreatic polypeptide.

We have isolated a cDNA clone encoding pancreatic polypeptide from a cDNA library constructed with RNA from an endocrine neoplasm of the human pancreas. The cDNA was inserted into plasmid pBR322 and the plasmid was cloned in Escherichia coli. Oligonucleotides (sequence in text) specific for the amino acid sequence (sequence in text) of pancreatic polypeptide were used as hybridization probes. The pancreatic polypeptide cDNA isolated was 465 base pairs long and encoded a peptide of 95 amino acids in the coding region. The 36-amino acid sequence of pancreatic polypeptide was flanked by a 29-amino acid putative leader sequence at the amino terminus and a connecting tripeptide (Gly-Lys-Arg) followed by a 27-amino acid peptide at the carboxyl terminus. The first 20 of the amino acids in the carboxyl-terminal heptacosapeptide were identical to the structure of human pancreatic icosapeptide with the single exception of an isoleucine substitution for valine in the 18th position. This alteration results from an A----G substitution in the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA and may represent a genetic variation or a point mutation in the pancreatic polypeptide cDNA.     

Sequence analysis of the cDNA encoding human liver glycogen phosphorylase reveals tissue-specific codon usage.

We have cloned the cDNA encoding glycogen phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan:orthophosphate alpha-D-glucosyl-transferase, EC 2.4.1.1) from human liver. Blot-hybridization analysis using a large fragment of the cDNA to probe mRNA from rabbit brain, muscle, and liver tissues shows preferential hybridization to liver RNA. Determination of the entire nucleotide sequence of the liver message has allowed a comparison with the previously determined rabbit muscle phosphorylase sequence. Despite an amino acid identity of 80%, the two cDNAs exhibit a remarkable divergence in G+C content. In the muscle phosphorylase sequence, 86% of the nucleotides at the third codon position are either deoxyguanosine or deoxycytidine residues, while in the liver homolog the figure is only 60%, resulting in a strikingly different pattern of codon usage throughout most of the sequence. The liver phosphorylase cDNA appears to represent an evolutionary mosaic; the segment encoding the N-terminal 80 amino acids contains greater than 90% G+C at the third codon position. A survey of other published mammalian cDNA sequences reveals that the data for liver and muscle phosphorylases reflects a bias in codon usage patterns in liver and muscle coding sequences in general.     

Isolation and DNA sequence of a cDNA clone encoding a lymphocyte adhesion receptor for high endothelium.

The migration of lymphocytes from the bloodstream into the secondary lymphoid organs, which is necessary for a successful immune response, occurs primarily within postcapillary venules that are characterized by high-walled endothelial cells. Lymphocyte adhesion to and extravasation at these sites is associated with the expression of specific lymphoid receptors for this specialized venule endothelium. We report here the molecular cloning from a baboon lymphoid cell line of a cDNA that encodes an adhesion receptor for HEV. The 362-amino acid protein encoded by this cDNA is not present in any of the data bases examined. The mature protein, resulting from the cleavage of a putative 20-amino acid signal peptide, has a calculated molecular mass of only 37 kDa, indicating that the 90-kDa cell surface protein is highly modified. The 342 amino acids, which lack any repeated sequences of significant length, encompass an extracellular domain (250 amino acids), a putative transmembrane domain (20 amino acids), and a cytoplasmic domain (72 amino acids).     

Sequence of a cDNA clone encoding mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein: structural conservation of intermediate filaments.

A clone encoding mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was isolated from a cDNA library constructed so as to express the cloned sequences. The library was screened using a GFAP-specific polyclonal antiserum; a single bacterial colony expressing GFAP was identified. The complete sequence of the cDNA insert in this clone is presented, encompassing 2.5 kilobases and specifying greater than 97% of the GFAP amino acid sequence. The clone includes a long (1.4-kilobase) 3' untranslated region. Within the coding region, the data show extensive homology with other intermediate filament proteins, particularly in those regions predicted to be alpha-helical. RNA blot transfer experiments using the cloned GFAP cDNA probe revealed a single GFAP mRNA species of 2.7 kilobases in mouse brain. Southern blot analysis indicates the existence of at most two genes encoding GFAP in the mouse genome. The mouse GFAP probe cross-hybridizes weakly at high stringency with genomic DNA from diverse eukaryotic species.     

Sequence of a cDNA encoding pancreatic preprosomatostatin-22.

We report the nucleotide sequence of a precursor to somatostatin that upon proteolytic processing may give rise to a hormone of 22 amino acids. The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA from the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) encodes a precursor to somatostatin that is 105 amino acids (Mr, 11,500). The cDNA coding for somatostatin-22 consists of 36 nucleotides in the 5' untranslated region, 315 nucleotides that code for the precursor to somatostatin-22, 269 nucleotides at the 3' untranslated region, and a variable length of poly(A). The putative preprohormone contains a sequence of hydrophobic amino acids at the amino terminus that has the properties of a "signal" peptide. A connecting sequence of approximately 57 amino acids is followed by a single Arg-Arg sequence, which immediately precedes the hormone. Somatostatin-22 is homologous to somatostatin-14 in 7 of the 14 amino acids, including the Phe-Trp-Lys sequence. Hybridization selection of mRNA, followed by its translation in a wheat germ cell-free system, resulted in the synthesis of a single polypeptide having a molecular weight of approximately 10,000 as estimated on Na-DodSO4/polyacrylamide gels.     

日本血吸虫TEGT基因的cDNA克隆和生物信息学分析

目的克隆日本血吸虫新基因TEGT(Sj.TEGT)的全长序列。方法根据编码日本血吸虫大陆株的EST基因片段的序列,设计5’RACE的系列引物,扩增Sj.TEGT的5’端,测序后预测该基因的全长ORF;再以此设计引物,以日本血吸虫中国大陆株成虫mRNA为模板,用RT-PCR方法扩增得到Sj.TEGT的全长cDNA。结果从日本血吸虫中国大陆株成虫mRNA中克隆到1个TEGT相关基因,命名为Sj.TEGT基因。其编码的蛋白的分子质量大约为30ku;对其编码的氨基酸序列的分析显示其编码蛋白有6个跨膜螺旋区。结论Sj.TEGT是一个新基因,有必要对其功能进行深入研究。     

cDNA clone analysis of six co-regulated mRNAs encoding skeletal muscle contractile proteins.

A cDNA cloning approach was used to investigate muscle gene regulation during differentiation of cultured embryonic quail myoblasts. A cDNA clone library of cultured myofiber poly(A)+RNA was constructed and screened by colony hybridization with cDNA probes of myoblast and myofiber RNA. Twenty-eight myofiber-specific cDNA clones were identified and, by cross-hybridization analysis, these clones were found to represent, at most, 18 different myofiber-specific RNAs. Six of these RNAs were identified by sequence analysis of the cDNA clones. These six RNAs encode the contractile proteins alpha-actin, alpha-tropomyosin, myosin heavy chain, myosin light chain 2, troponin C, and troponin I. The embryonic muscle contractile protein sequences are identical with, or closely match, those of adult skeletal muscle proteins and include both fast fiber (myosin light chain 2 and troponin I) and slow fiber (troponin C) isotypes. RNA gel transfer hybridization analysis showed that the cellular abundances of these contractile protein mRNAs increase 20- to 30-fold or more during myoblast differentiation. These findings indicate that coordinate activation of contractile protein synthesis during myogenesis is controlled by mechanisms that direct the accumulation of contractile protein mRNAs rather than their translational utilization. Furthermore, with the possible exception of myosin heavy chain, the contractile protein genes expressed by cultured embryogenic muscle encode adult muscle proteins of both basal and slow fiber types, consistent with a co-activation-selective repression model of gene regulation during fiber type differentiation in developing skeletal muscle.     

Isolation of a cDNA clone encoding a biologically active thyroid hormone receptor.

We have isolated a c-erbA cDNA clone from a GH3 cell library. The clone, denoted erb62, is 4.5 kilobases long and encodes a 461-amino acid beta-type c-erbA protein. This c-erbA protein binds 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) and T3 analogs with affinities similar to those of the authentic T3 receptor. By RNA gel blot analysis, erb62 hybridizes to a 6-kilobase RNA found in organs that express T3 receptors--e.g., heart, kidney, and brain. A COS-cell transient cotransfection system was used to show that erb62 encodes a biologically active T3 receptor. An oligonucleotide, corresponding to a portion of the rat growth hormone gene 5'-flanking region that contains a T3 response element, was inserted on the 5' side of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter in a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase-expressing plasmid. Reporter gene expression directed by this hybrid promoter was T3 inducible only if this plasmid was cotransfected with an erb62-expressing plasmid.     

Isolation of a cDNA clone encoding the amino-terminal region of human apolipoprotein B.

A partial cDNA clone for the B-26 region of apolipoprotein B was isolated from an adult human liver DNA library by screening with an oligonucleotide probe derived from amino-terminal protein sequence obtained from purified B-26 peptide. Antisera against a synthetic 17-residue peptide whose amino acid sequence was encoded by the clone cross-reacts with apolipoproteins B-26, B-100, and B-48, but not with B-74. The nucleotide sequence immediately upstream from the amino terminus of B-26 codes for an apparent signal sequence, implying that the B-26 moiety is in an amino-terminal locus in the B-100 protein. That this sequence represents a 5' end region is further supported by primer extension analysis using a fragment of the cDNA clone and by S1 nuclease protection experiments using the corresponding region in a genomic clone.     

Characterization of a cDNA clone encoding the calmodulin-binding domain of mouse brain calcineurin.

A cDNA clone corresponding to a portion of the catalytic subunit of calmodulin (CaM)-dependent phosphoprotein phosphatase (calcineurin) was isolated from a murine brain library by expression vector immunoscreening. A beta-galactosidase fusion protein that reacted on Western blots with anti-calcineurin antibodies and biotinylated CaM was purified in preparative amounts using CaM-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Partial digestion of the hybrid protein with Staphylococcus aureus V-8 protease produced several immunoreactive peptides that appeared identical to fragments generated from authentic brain calcineurin. The 1111-base-pair (bp) EcoRI insert contained an open reading frame encoding a protein of 35 kDa followed by a 190-bp 3' noncoding region; seven peptides obtained by partial amino acid sequencing of the bovine brain enzyme were found in the deduced sequence. A domain approximately 12 kDa from the carboxyl terminus was deduced to be the CaM-binding site based on consensus structural features and a sequence of seven amino acids highly related to smooth muscle myosin light-chain kinase. Two regions with identity to protein phosphatases 1 and 2A were found in the amino half of the cloned sequence; however, the intervening sequence contained apparent insertions, suggesting splicing of subdomains. Thus, the structure of calcineurin is chimeric, consisting of conserved catalytic elements and a regulatory CaM-binding domain.     

Fabry disease: isolation of a cDNA clone encoding human alpha-galactosidase A.

Fabry disease is an X-linked inborn error of metabolism resulting from the deficient activity of the lysosomal hydrolase, alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A; alpha-D-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.22). To investigate the structure, organization, and expression of alpha-Gal A, as well as the nature of mutations in Fabry disease, a clone encoding human alpha-Gal A was isolated from a lambda gt11 human liver cDNA expression library. To facilitate screening, an improved affinity purification procedure was used to obtain sufficient homogeneous enzyme for production of monospecific antibodies and for amino-terminal and peptide microsequencing. On the basis of an amino-terminal sequence of 24 residues, two sets of oligonucleotide mixtures were synthesized corresponding to adjacent, but not overlapping, amino acid sequences. In addition, an oligonucleotide mixture was synthesized based on a sequence derived from an alpha-Gal A internal tryptic peptide isolated by reversed-phase HPLC. Four positive clones were initially identified by antibody screening of 1.4 X 10(7) plaques. Of these, only one clone (designated lambda AG18) demonstrated both antibody binding specificity by competition studies using homogeneous enzyme and specific hybridization to synthetic oligonucleotide mixtures corresponding to amino-terminal and internal amino acid sequences. Nucleotide sequencing of the 5' end of the 1250-base-pair EcoRI insert of clone lambda AG18 revealed an exact correspondence between the predicted and known amino-terminal amino acid sequence. The insert of clone lambda AG18 appears to contain the full-length coding region of the processed, enzymatically active alpha-Gal A, as well as sequences coding for five amino acids of the amino-terminal propeptide, which is posttranslationally cleaved during enzyme maturation.     

A cDNA clone encoding a peptide highly specific for hepatitis C infection.

A random primed lambda gt11-cDNA library was constructed from donors plasma presumably infected by blood-borne non-A, non-B hepatitis (hepatitis C:HC) agent and immunoscreened with serum pooled from patients with acute or chronic HC. Twelve lambda gt11-cDNA clones encoding antigens associated with HC infection in Japan as well as in the USA were isolated. Of these one clone consisting of 114 nucleotides and showing a discrete band on an immunoblot analysis, was extensively studied. The clone is not derived from the host DNA encoding one polypeptide specific and highly sensitive for serum from patients with HC and has no homology to the nucleotide sequences of known human viruses including hepatitis A,B and D viruses, Ebstein-Barr virus, coxsackievirus, immunodeficiency virus type 1 or Japanese encephalitis virus. These results suggest that this clone is derived from the genome of HC agent.