Molecular characterization and differential mRNA tissue distribution of mouse apolipoprotein D

The mouse apolipoprotein D gene was isolated from a brain cDNA library. The nucleotide sequence contains a unique reading frame coding for a protein sharing 79.5% homology with human apoD, 86.2% homology with rabbit apoD and 92.6% homology with rat apoD. The four sequences have two potential asparagine-linked glycosylation sites at residues 45 and 78, and possess the two consensus sequences of the lipocalin family which coincide with the most conserved regions in the four species studied. The distribution of apoD mRNA among mouse organs was determined by Northern blot and quantitative dot blot analysis. The highest levels of mRNA were found in the central nervous system (CNS), namely in the spinal cord, the cerebellum and the brain. Very low concentrations were detected in all the other organs tested. In some organs (spleen, kidney, intestines, heart), a second messenger of lower molecular weight was detected. Gene expression was also measured in rat tissues. As in the mouse, rat CNS was found to be by far the highest expressor of apoD mRNA, in contrast to the rabbit and human. Levels of expression in most mouse and rat organs appeared to be much lower than in the same organs of the rabbit and human. Since apoD is expressed at sites of nerve regeneration as well as apoE, our results raise the question of whether or not the two proteins play a coordinated role in the CNS.