title: A new family of heparin-binding factors: strong conservation of midkine (MK) sequences between the human and the mouse.
abstract: A retinoic acid responsive gene, MK, specifies for a heparin binding factor termed midkine (MK), which is the initial member of a new protein family involved in regulation of growth and differentiation. A cDNA clone of human MK was isolated from a fetal kidney cDNA library. Human MK mRNA was expressed in PA1 teratocarcinoma cells as well as in the kidney. Sequence analysis of the cDNA clone and of a part of the genomic clone yielded the predicted protein sequence of human MK. Human and mouse MK sequences are highly conserved: 87% of amino acids are identical and all amino acid changes are conservative except for an insertion. Comparison of MK and HB-GAM/pleiotrophin (another member of the family) from various species revealed sequences conserved in the family and those specific for each protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kadomatsu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D015698:Genomic Library; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology; D051379:Mice; D000078792:Midkine; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011247:Pregnancy; D015183:Restriction Mapping
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D006133:Growth Substances; C066845:pleiotrophin; D000078792:Midkine; D004247:DNA