Testis-specific murine centrin, Cetn1: Genomic characterization and evidence for retroposition of a gene encoding a centrosome protein
GENOMICS
Authors: Hart, PE; Glantz, JN; Orth, JD; Poynter, GM; Salisbury, JL
Abstract
Centrin is a centrosome component in species from yeast to humans. Here, the mouse centrin 1 gene (Cetn1) is analyzed with respect to its genomic structure, chromosome localization, tissue-specific expression, and phylogenetic relationship to the other mouse centrin genes and their human orthologs. Cetn1 is an intronless gene located on chromosome 18A2 that encodes a 172-amino-acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 19,696 Da (pl 4.61) and all of the structural features common to centrin. Cetn1 possesses the sequence features of an expressed retroposon: the gene lacks introns, the open reading frame is not interrupted by stop codons, and the coding region is flanked by a pair of direct repeats. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis demonstrate that Cetn1 expression is limited exclusively to the testis in adult male mice, Cetn1 expression is first seen in the neonatal testis at 14 days postpartum, reaching adult levels by day 17. These observations provide new insight into the regulation, function, and evolutionary history of centrin in higher eukaryotes. (C) 1999 Academic Press.
Isolation and characterization of the Cetn1 gene from tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus)
BIOCHEMICAL GENETICS
Authors: Zhang, Wen; Cao, Xiangrong; Shen, Quan; Liu, Wei; Ni, Siyang; Hua, Xiuguo; Zhang, Xiran
Abstract
The tufted deer, a species found only in China, has polymorphic sex chromosomes (2n = 46, 47, 48). Centrins are centrosome components in species from yeast to humans. Here, the Cetn1 gene was isolated from the testis cDNA library of tufted deer, and its expression pattern, number of gene copies, and gene structure were studied. To date, for unknown reasons, satisfactory genomic DNA of the tufted deer has not been obtained. In the present study, we extracted high molecular weight genomic DNA from tissues of the tufted deer. Results showed that genomic DNA was isolated successfully and could be used for Southern blotting of the Cetn1 gene. Centrin 1 transcripts were shown to exist in testis and the retina. It has no intron and only a single copy in the genome. Protein sequence analyses indicate that the C-terminal Ser-170, which was shown to be phosphorylated in human centrin, is not conserved except in sequences from the human, chimpanzee, and tufted deer.