title: The basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) antisense RNA (GFG) is translated into a MutT-related protein in vivo.
abstract: The basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) gene is transcribed bidirectionally to yield multiple sense (coding) transcripts and a unique 1.5 kb antisense transcript which may regulate sense RNA stability. The antisense RNA also contains a long open reading frame that predicts a hypothetical protein with homology to the prokaryotic MutT antimutator proteins. However, translation of this protein has not previously been demonstrated. We employed antibodies against the conserved MutT-domain of the deduced human FGF-2 antisense protein (GFG) to demonstrate expression of an immunoreactive 24 kDa protein in liver extracts from Xenopus laevis, and two proteins of 28 and 35 kDa in rat liver. In rats, GFG protein expression detected by western blot was tissue-specific and correlated with the level of FGF-2 antisense mRNA expression. These findings demonstrate that, in addition to its possible RNA regulatory function, the FGF-2 antisense transcript is translated into a conserved MutT-related protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Too
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; C108111:fibroblast growth factor 13; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; C052211:mutT protein, E coli