title: Tandem arrangement of human genes for interleukin-4 and interleukin-13: resemblance in their organization.
abstract: The genes encoding human interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) are located on segment q23-31 of chromosome 5 and encode two multifunctional lymphokines with some common functions. We have cloned 72 kb of human genomic DNA that contain IL-4 and IL-13 and their flanking sequences, and constructed a restriction map of this region. Using Southern analysis, we have shown that IL-13 is located 12 kb 5' to IL-4 and linked in a 'tail-to-head' fashion. We have also determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragment (about 4.8 kb) containing IL-13 and its 5' flanking regulatory region (2.1 kb) with a 'CpG island'. We identified potential binding sites for a different transcription factors in the 5' flanking region and in the first intron of IL-13. Comparison of IL-13 and IL-4 revealed considerable similarity in the structural organization of these genes and also many potential binding sites for transcription factors common to both genes: AP1, AP2, AP3, PEA3, HRE, TCF-1, GATA-3 and the interferon-inducible and enhancer elements. These results, along with the similarity in functional activity of IL-4 and IL-13 suggests that their expression may be coregulated.
authors.affiliation: Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Smirnov
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Smirnova
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Korobko
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Frolova
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002895:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5 / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000235:genetics*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018793:Interleukin-13; D015847:Interleukin-4