title: Isolation and characterization of the rat gene encoding ornithine aminotransferase.
abstract: Herein we describe the isolation and characterization of the rat gene encoding ornithine aminotransferase (rOAT). Six unique genomic clones were characterized and assigned to two nonoverlapping contigs representing approx. 33 kb of the rat genome. The 5' contig contains the rOAT promoter, exons 1 and 3, and a portion of exon 4; an exon corresponding to exon 2 of the human OAT gene (hOAT) was not identified. The rOAT promoter contains several putative regulatory elements in positions similar to hOAT. The 3' contig contains exons 7 through 11 in their entirety. Data presented and discussed herein suggest that approx. 3.0 kb of uncloned genomic DNA, containing the remainder of exon 4 and all of exons 5 and 6, separate the two contigs. Together, these data suggest that rOAT extends over approx. 20 kb and is organized into at least 10 exons, thereby closely resembling hOAT in size and exon/intron organization. Isolation of rOAT provides an important tool for examining the molecular mechanisms through which estrogen and thyroid hormone regulate transcription of this gene in a cell-type specific manner.
authors.affiliation: Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-6805.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Shull
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Pennington
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Pitot
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Boryca
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Schulte
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA; D005091:Exons; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase