ISSN:
1040-452X
Keywords:
Human Epididymis
;
HE genes
;
Gene family
;
Pseudogene
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Differential screening of a human epididymal cDNA library led to the isolation and characterization of a major epididymis-specific cDNA clone family, referred to as HE3. More detailed sequence and PCR analysis identified two different but homologous gene transcripts, HE3α and HE3β. The former represents an mRNA of ca. 1 kb, encoding a putative small secretory polypeptide of 14903 MW. The HE3β transcript was only found as incomplete 3′ fragments. Analysis of human genomic DNA by Southern blotting suggested the presence in the human genome of at least three independent HE3-related genes. Isolation of genomic clones for the HE3α gene showed this to contain a single intron of 1.4 kb in the 5′ noncoding region. Although genomic clones corresponding to HE3β could not be found, a third highly homologous gene, HE3γ, was identified as a potential pseudogene. Neither nucleotide nor encoded amino acid sequences of the HE3 gene family are related to any other known sequence in the central databases, and thus represents a novel human gene family, with at least three nonallelic members. Northern hybridization analysis showed that HE3 gene products are specifically expressed in the human epididymis, and not in any other tissue examined. Furthermore, except for the pig, no other nonprimate species has been identified to express homologous sequences in the epididymis. RNase protection assays showed that both the HE3α and HE3β, but not the HE3γ genes, are expressed in the human epididymis. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Material:
7 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mrd.1080370203
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