Characterization and genomic localization of the mouse Extl2 gene

Human EXTL2 is an alpha1,4-N-acetylhexosaminyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of heparin/heparan sulfate. We have cloned and characterized the mouse homolog of this gene. Mouse Extl2 encodes a 330 amino acid protein that is 87% identical to its human counterpart. Expression analysis showed that Extl2 is ubiquitously expressed in adult mouse tissues and that the Extl2 transcript is already present in early stages of embryonic development. Determination of the genomic structure revealed that the Extl2 gene spans five exons within a 10-kb region and that the genomic organization between mouse and man is well preserved, with conservation of the number and position of all five exons. By radiation hybrid analysis, Extl2 was mapped to mouse chromosome 3, in a region homologous to the human EXTL2 region on chromosome 1.