Hematopoietic tissue-specific expression of mouse Neil3 for endonuclease VIII-like protein

We cloned cDNA and genomic DNA containing exon 1 of mouse Neil3. Neil3 spans 52.4 kb and consists of 10 exons. Northern blot analysis revealed that Neil3 mRNA was selectively expressed in thymus, spleen and bone marrow. High levels of Neil3 mRNA were also detected in various mouse B cell lines by RT-PCR. Immunofluorescence microscopy using anti-NEIL3 revealed that recombinant mouse NEIL3 is localized in the nuclei. In mouse splenocytes, the level of Neil3 mRNA significantly increased after mitogen stimulation in vitro. We established NEIL3-null mice, which are viable and fertile. We found candidate sequences for NEIL3 orthologues in a DNA database from dog and zebrafish in addition to human and mouse, but not invertebrates. NEIL3 may function exclusively in vertebrates, such as mammals.