Structural analysis of a rat renal kallikrein gene.
A renal kallikrein gene has been isolated, sequenced and characterized from a rat genomic library using a kallikrein cDNA probe. The kallikrein gene is 4160 bases in length and consists of 5 exons and 4 introns. The deduced sequence of the gene encodes an 18 amino acid (a.a.) signal peptide, a 6 a.a. propeptide and a 237 a.a. active enzyme with an N-terminal valine. A sequence comparison of this and tissue kallikrein (pancreatic kallikrein) indicates the key a.a. residues for serine protease activity (HIS-ASP-SER) and cleavage specificity at basic a.a. Northern blot analysis using a specific oligonucleotide probe reveals that this gene is expressed specifically in the kidney but not in the pancreas. This gene is also expressed non-specifically in the submandibular gland which expresses all kallikrein family genes. The expression of this kidney-specific kallikrein gene is regulated by steroid hormones.
Chao
L
L
Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
Chen
Y P
YP
Woodley-Miller
C
C
Li
L Y
LY
von Harten
K
K
Chao
J
J
D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000378:metabolism
D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D007610:Kallikreins