Molecular cloning and gene organization of the mouse mitochondrial 3,2-trans-enoyl-CoA isomerase

3,2-trans-enoyl-CoA isomerase (mECI, E.C. 5.3.3.8) is the key enzyme of mitochondrial beta-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. A mouse cDNA clone spanning the entire coding region of mECI was isolated and sequenced. Subsequently, two overlapping genomic clones containing the complete mECI gene were isolated and characterized. The mouse mECI cDNA comprises an open reading frame of 867 bp, encoding a protein of 32 kDa. The mECI gene, spanning about 15 kb, consists of seven exons. Multiple transcription starts were determined by primer extension experiments. Knowledge of the gene organization and availability of genomic clones for mouse mECI will facilitate the study of unsaturated fatty acid metabolism in normal and pathological states.