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Identification and preliminary characterization of mouse Adam33
Teresa M Gunn1, Arezou Azarani, Philip H Kim
1Department of Pediatrics, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
BMC Genetics
|March 19, 2002
Summary
Researchers identified mouse ADAM33, finding it widely expressed in adult tissues like the brain. While similar to Xenopus ADAM13, their orthologous relationship requires further study to understand its role in cell communication.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) proteins are crucial for cell interactions and signaling.
- Evolutionary links for most ADAM proteins remain unclear, despite known relationships for ADAM10 and ADAM17.
- Human ADAM33 shares sequence similarity with Xenopus laevis ADAM13, but lacks a complete open reading frame.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize the mouse ADAM33 gene and its evolutionary relationship.
- To investigate the expression pattern of mouse ADAM33.
Main Methods:
- Sequence analysis of mouse DNA adjacent to the Attractin gene.
- Identification of full-length mouse and human ADAM33 cDNA using gene prediction and RT-PCR.
- Phylogenetic alignment and functional domain analysis.
- Analysis of gene expression in adult mouse tissues.
Main Results:
- Mouse ADAM33 sequences were identified in a region homologous to human ADAM33 on chromosome 20p13.
- Full-length mouse and human ADAM33 cDNAs were characterized.
- Mouse ADAM33 showed 44% identity to Xenopus laevis ADAM13, but phylogenetic analysis suggested they are not orthologous.
- Mouse Adam33 exhibited broad expression, with highest levels in the adult brain, heart, kidney, lung, and testis.
Conclusions:
- Despite sequence similarity, the functional relationship between mouse ADAM33 and Xenopus ADAM13 requires further investigation, including embryonic expression and protein interactions.
- The expression of ADAM33 in the adult mouse brain suggests a potential role in complex cell-cell communication processes.