cDNA cloning of thyroid hormone receptor beta for the Japanese flounder

cDNA encoding the beta type of thyroid hormone receptor (THR) was cloned from a lambda gt10 library prepared from the whole bodies of metamorphosing flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The deduced amino acid sequence of the flounder THR beta (fTHR beta 1) showed higher homologies to the known THR beta s of other vertebrate animals than to THR alpha s, including flounder THR alpha s. Unlike any other THR, fTHR beta 1 possessed an insertion sequence composed of nine amino acids in the region prior to the hormone-binding domain. PCR analyses suggested the presence of transcripts for another THR beta (fTHR beta 2) that had a longer insertion sequence than fTHR beta 1. The analyses further suggested that the cDNA sequences of the two flounder THR beta s most likely shared a constant sequence except for a 60-base additional sequence found only in fTHR beta 2. The flounder genome possessed a single gene for both fTHR beta 1 and beta 2, suggesting that the two THR beta variants are produced from the same gene through an alternative splicing system.