[Cloning of genomic sequences of human prointerleukin 1 beta]

The human brain library carried in the EMBL3 vector was employed for isolating prointerleukin 1 beta genomic sequences using three synthetic 20-member oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides were homologous to the following mRNA regions: 3'-nontranslated region/C1/, 3'-translated region of mRNA/C2/ and the sequence coding N-terminal of mature protein/N1/. The oligonucleotide labeling utilized the terminal nucleotidyltransferase and [alpha-32P] dATP and specific activity of labeled oligonucleotides reached 1.6.10(10) cpm. The sizes of the synthesized labeled sequences (tails) were about 10 b.p. Hybridization probe C1 was used for the first screening and 24 hybridization positive clones were detected. For the next screening probe C2 was used and only 2 hybridization positive clones with different level of hybridization were detected from 24 clones. Probe N1 was used for the third screening and allowed to identify the only positive clone. The characterization by restriction mapping and Southern blot analyses have shown that recombinant phage DNA contains all three exons, coding the mature interleukin 1 beta. Some fragments were recloned to tg130 vector phage and nucleotide sequences of exon 5 (completely) and exon 7, intron 4 and 5 (partially) were determined.