An aromatase pseudogene is transcribed in the bovine placenta.
The present investigation is focused on a new, truncated bovine aromatase cytochrome P-450-encoding transcript (bCyp19) which was repeatedly isolated from a placental lambda gt10 cDNA library. Different cDNA probes derived from bCyp19 were used during screenings. The deviant transcript contains areas of considerable sequence homology (89-98%) corresponding to exons II, III, V, VIII and IX of bCyp19. Exons VI and VII are missing. Exon IV is replaced by a bovine repeat sequence motif. Numerous translation stop codons occur within all reading frames, thus suggesting that the transcript does not encode a functional protein. The gene was detected by PCR in the genomes of all animals investigated (n = 38). The experiments demonstrate that the bovine genome contains a non-functional copy (pseudogene, Cyp19 phi) of bCyp19 that is transcribed together with the bCyp19 messenger in the bovine post-parturition placenta.
Fürbass
R
R
Forschungsinstitut für die Biologie landwirtschaftlicher Nutztiere, Dummerstorf, Germany.
Vanselow
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001141:Aromatase / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D016678:Genome; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology; D017354:Point Mutation; D011544:Pseudogenes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001141:Aromatase