Characterization of a complementary deoxyribonucleic acid coding for human and bovine plasminogen

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genetics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Plasminogen is a crucial protein in the fibrinolytic system.
• Understanding plasminogen gene structure is vital for studying its role in hemostasis and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize cDNA clones encoding bovine and human plasminogen.
• To identify and analyze the human plasminogen gene structure.

Main Methods:

• Construction and screening of bovine and human liver cDNA libraries using enriched mRNA and cDNA probes.
• Screening of a human genomic DNA library using restriction fragments of human plasminogen cDNA.
• Characterization of specific exons and splice junctions within the human plasminogen gene.

Main Results:

• Isolation of a bovine plasminogen cDNA clone encoding the C-terminal region.
• Identification of six human plasminogen cDNA clones, with the longest containing residues 272-790.
• Characterization of human genomic DNA isolates containing parts of the plasminogen gene, including an exon encoding part of kringle 4.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully isolated key cDNA fragments for bovine and human plasminogen.
• The findings provide insights into the structure of the human plasminogen gene, particularly kringle domains.
• This work facilitates further research into plasminogen regulation and function.