Cloning, structure and mRNA expression of human Cctg, which encodes the chaperonin subunit CCT gamma

We describe the cloning, DNA sequence analysis and mRNA expression analysis of human Cctg (HsCctg), a gene that encodes the gamma-subunit of the eukaryotic cytosolic 'chaperonin-containing TCP-1' (CCT). Partial clones representing the 3' region of HsCctg cDNA were isolated from a human kidney cDNA library, and the missing 5' region was amplified directly from human kidney cDNA. The Cctg mRNA transcript is expressed in numerous human and mouse tissues and, like Tcp-1/Ccta, Cctg mRNA is expressed at higher levels in mouse testis when compared with kidney and brain. Southern-blot analysis has also revealed the Cctg gene to be highly conserved in mouse, rat, sheep and frog. The 1901 bp HsCctg cDNA has a coding region of 1635 bp and encodes a predicted 60 kDa protein (544 amino acids). The predicted HsCCT gamma amino acid sequence shares a high degree of sequence similarity with gamma-subunits from the mouse Mus musculus (98% similarity), the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (75% similarity) and the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis (76% similarity) as well as with other members of the TF55/TCP-1 family, such as human TCP-1/CCT alpha (55% similarity) and TCP-20/CCT zeta (54% similarity). HsCCT gamma also shares conserved domains previously identified in the TF55/TCP-1 family of chaperonins and more distantly related chaperonins such as GroEL and Hsp60.