Sequence of a cDNA encoding the beta 4 subunit of murine integrin

A cDNA coding for the beta 4 subunit of murine integrin (m beta 4) has been cloned and sequenced using mRNA from a murine lung carcinoma as the template. The 5' sequence contains two AUG codons, the second of which initiates synthesis of the mature protein. The cDNA sequence has an open reading frame coding for 1748 amino acids (aa), including a signal peptide, cysteine-rich region, serine- and threonine-rich region, transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain of over 1000 aa. Overall, the deduced m beta 4 aa sequence has 88% identity with the human beta 4 subunit (h beta 4) sequence deduced from the sequence of placental mRNA. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using primers flanking splice sites for two variant forms of h beta 4 transcripts provided evidence for alternate splicing of RNA in the murine spleen and to a lesser extent in the skin, uterus, and thymus but was found at only one of the two alternative sites. Five potential glycosylation sites present in the extracellular domain of h beta 4 are conserved in m beta 4. One tyrosine in the terminal region of the cytoplasmic domain (position 1600) is conserved between m beta 4 and h beta 4 and has the consensus sequence for tyrosine phosphorylation. Finally, a genomic restriction map of m beta 4 shows that the gene is about 40 kb in length. No restriction-fragment length polymorphisms were detected between BALB/c liver and BALB/c lung carcinoma DNA.