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Sequence of the murine alpha-lactalbumin-encoding cDNA: interspecies comparison of the coding frame and deduced

J L Vilotte1, S Soulier, J C Mercier

  • 1Laboratoire de Génétique Biochimique, INRA-CRJ, Jouy-en-Josas, France.

Gene
|March 15, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Mouse alpha-lactalbumin mRNA structure was determined via cDNA sequencing. Comparison with rat revealed minor differences in the pre-protein, questioning the significance of invariant amino acid residues.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Alpha-lactalbumin is a key protein in milk production.
  • Understanding its genetic structure is crucial for comparative studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the complete mRNA structure of mouse alpha-lactalbumin.
  • To compare the mouse sequence with its rat counterpart.

Main Methods:

  • Sequence analysis of eight cDNA clones.
  • Deduction of mRNA and pre-protein sequences.
  • Interspecies sequence comparison.

Main Results:

  • The mouse alpha-lactalbumin mRNA is 732 nucleotides long (excluding poly(A) tail).
  • Mouse pre-protein shows 86% homology with rat pre-protein.
  • Identified an extra amino acid in the signal peptide and two mutations in conserved residues.

Conclusions:

  • The deduced mouse alpha-lactalbumin pre-protein sequence has minor variations compared to rat.
  • These variations challenge the presumed structural or functional importance of invariant amino acid residues at positions 44 and 107.

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