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Isolation of mouse CD44 cDNA: structural features are distinct from the primate cDNA
C Nottenburg1, G Rees, T St John
1Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104.
Summary
Researchers isolated mouse CD44 cDNA, revealing distinct structural features compared to baboon CD44. Mouse CD44 RNA also uniquely does not fractionate with polyadenylylated RNA, unlike other species.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Immunology
- Genetics
Background:
- CD44 is a glycoprotein involved in lymphocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.
- It plays a role in various intercellular adhesion processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize mouse CD44 cDNA.
- To compare mouse CD44 structure and RNA characteristics with other species.
Main Methods:
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of cDNA from a B-lymphocyte cell line (38C-13).
- Oligonucleotide sequencing based on baboon and mouse CD44 sequences.
- Analysis of CD44 DNA and RNA characteristics.
Main Results:
- Mouse CD44 cDNA was successfully isolated.
- Mouse CD44 exhibits distinct structural features, particularly in the external domain, with lower sequence similarity to primate CD44.
- Mouse CD44 RNA does not fractionate with polyadenylylated RNA, a characteristic not observed in human, baboon, rat, or chicken CD44 RNA.
- Nucleotide insertions near the leader peptide cleavage site lead to variations in amino acid sequences between mouse strains.
- An amino acid replacement is likely responsible for the Pgp-1 polymorphism.
Conclusions:
- Mouse CD44 possesses unique structural and RNA characteristics compared to other species.
- These differences may contribute to variations in CD44 function and Pgp-1 polymorphism.
- The non-polyadenylylated nature of mouse CD44 RNA is a significant finding requiring further investigation.