title: Structure of the human hemopexin gene and evidence for intron-mediated evolution.
abstract: The human hemopexin gene was isolated and its structure determined. The gene spans approximately 12 kb and is interrupted by nine introns. When the intron/exon pattern was examined with respect to the polypeptide segments they encode, a direct correspondence between exons and the 10 repeating units in the protein was observed. The introns are not randomly placed; they fall in the middle of the region of amino acid sequence homology in strikingly similar locations in 6 of the 10 units and in a symmetrical position in the two halves of the coding sequence. These features strongly support the hypothesis that the gene evolved through intron-mediated duplications of a primordial sequence to a five-exon cluster. A more recent gene duplication led to the present-day gene organization.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Biologia Generale, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altruda
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Restagno
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silengo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D006466:Hemopexin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D006466:Hemopexin; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes