title: Structure of the human neutrophil elastase gene.
abstract: The gene for human neutrophil elastase (NE), a powerful serine protease carried by blood neutrophils and capable of destroying most connective tissue proteins, was cloned from a genomic DNA library of a normal individual. The NE gene consists of 5 exons and 4 introns included in a single copy 4-kilobase segment of chromosome 11 at q14. The coding exons of the NE gene predict a primary translation product of 267 residues including a 29-residue N-terminal precursor peptide and a 20-residue C-terminal precursor peptide. Analysis of the N-terminal peptide sequence suggests it contains a 27-residue "pre" signal peptide followed by a "proN" dipeptide, similar to that of other blood cell lysosomal proteases. The sequences for the mature 218-residue NE protein are included in exons II-V. The 5'-flanking region of the gene includes typical TATA, CAAT, and GC sequences within 61 base pairs (bp) of the cap site. The sequence 1.5 kilobases 5' to exon I contains several interesting repetitive sequences including six tandem repeats of unique 52- or 53-bp sequences. The 5'-flanking region also contains a 19-bp segment with 90% homology to a segment of the 5'-flanking region of the human myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene, a gene also expressed in bone marrow precursor cells and a protein stored in the same neutrophil granules as NE. In addition, like the MPO gene, the NE 5'-flanking region has several regions with greater than or equal to 75% homology to sequences 5' to c-myc, but there is no overlap between the NE-c-myc and MPO-c-myc homologous sequences.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005091:Exons; D005796:Genes; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000201:enzymology*; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase