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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Dissection of Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus from Adult Mouse
Published on: November 18, 2009
The human and murine protocadherin-beta one-exon gene families show high evolutionary conservation, despite the
K Vanhalst1, P Kools, E Vanden Eynde
1Molecular Cell Biology Unit, Department of Molecular Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Ghent University, Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
Extensive cDNA analysis demonstrated that all human and mouse protocadherin-beta genes are one-exon genes. The protein sequences of these genes are highly conserved, especially the three most membrane-proximal extracellular domains. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that this unique gene family evolved by duplication of one single protocadherin-beta gene to 15 copies. The final difference in the number of protocadherin-beta genes in man (#19) and mouse (#22) is probably caused by duplications later in evolution. The complex relationship between human and mouse genes and the lack of pseudogenes in the mouse protocadherin-beta gene cluster suggest a species-specific evolutionary pressure for maintenance of numerous protocadherin-beta genes.
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