Cloning and molecular characterization of the Chinese hamster ERCC2 nucleotide excision repair gene

The Chinese hamster ERCC2 nucleotide excision repair gene, encoding a presumed ATP-dependent DNA helicase, was cloned from the V79 cell line, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The approximately 15-kb gene comprises 23 exons with a 2283-base open reading frame. The predicted 760-amino-acid protein is 98% identical to the human ERCC2/XPD (760 amino acids), 51% identical to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD3 (778 amino acids), and 54% identical to the Schizosaccharomyces pombe rad15 (772 amino acids) proteins. The promoter region of the hamster ERCC2 gene contains a pyrimidine-rich stretch (42 nucleotides, 88% C+T) similar to sequences found in the promoter regions of two other nucleotide excision repair genes, a GC box, a putative alpha-Pal transcription factor binding site, and two CAAT boxes. There is no apparent TAATA box. No consensus polyadenylation sequence (AATAAA or its variants) was found within 663 bases 3' of the translation termination codon.