A C. elegans gene encodes a protein homologous to mammalian calreticulin

The gene encoding a C. elegans homologue of the mammalian reticuloplasmin, calreticulin, was cloned and sequenced and the amino-acid sequence of its product deduced. The coding region of the gene comprises three exons separated by introns of 95 and 55 nucleotides, followed by either 158 or 279 bases of 3' non-coding sequence before putative polyadenylation signals. The precursor protein of 395 residues includes an N-terminal signal sequence of 13 residues. The C-terminus has the ER retention signal HDEL preceded by a polyacidic zone similar to known mammalian calreticulins. The sequence shows a 61% identity with mouse calreticulin, increasing to 82% in the proline-rich region of the molecule. Comparison of the C. elegans sequence with the calreticulin-related antigen RAL-1 of Oncocerca volvulus shows 73% identity, excluding the calreticulin C-terminal region. The sequence of this region differs markedly from RAL-1 where the parasite protein has a polybasic stretch and no ER retention signal. The C. elegans gene described here and designated crt-1 was mapped to a region towards the left-hand end of Chromosome V on the physical map of the genome. Southern blotting of genomic DNA indicates that in C. elegans the calreticulin homologue exists in only one form as the product of a single gene.