title: Isolation of a cDNA clone for beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase from embryonic chicken brain and comparison to its mammalian homologs.
abstract: Based on the observed biochemical and immunological similarities between bovine beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase (GalT) and a developmentally regulated galactosyltransferase (GalT-4; UDP-Gal:Lc3 beta 1-4 GalT) from embryonic chicken brain, a genetic similarity between the two enzymes has been postulated. To test our hypothesis, we have employed a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)based approach and isolated a approximately 600 bp cDNA clone from embryonic chicken brain mRNA. Our results indicate that, within the approximately 600 bp fragment, the avian cDNA nucleotide sequence is 74% homologous to the human beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase cDNA. Similarity and identity between the predicted amino acid sequences of the two galactosyltransferases are 75% and 61%, respectively. Similar to its mammalian counterparts, the embryonic chicken brain galactosyltransferase gene appears to encode multiple mRNA transcripts (2.3 and 1.4 kb) and shows multiple bands on a Southern blot (18.6, 12.9, 10.5 and 3.7 kb) indicating that the avian gene is either polyexonic and/or it belongs to a multiple gene family.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; C045097:UDP-galactose-lactosylceramide alpha 1-4-galactosyltransferase; C023235:glucosylceramide beta-1-4-galactosyltransferase