title: Rabbit RAG-2 UTRs: characterization of an unusually large 3' untranslated region.
abstract: We previously characterized the rabbit recombination activating gene-2 (RAG-2) coding region and a portion of the cDNA. Rabbit RAG-2 mRNA, however, was shown to be approximately twice as large as the predominant form expressed in other vertebrate species, suggesting that it contained additional coding and/or untranslated regions (UTR). In this report, we map and sequence the complete 5' and 3' UTRs of the rabbit RAG-2 transcript and identify and sequence the genomic regions from which they are transcribed. The data show that, with the exception of a 300 nucleotide 5' UTR, almost all of the additional sequence belongs to the 3' UTR and that the 3' UTR sequence is transcribed from a single large exon that encodes most of the coding region and all of the 3' UTR. The 3' UTR contains four poly A signal sites, the last of which is closely followed by a GU-rich region. The rabbit 3' UTR has a high level of identity with the homologous region downstream of the human RAG-2 gene but not with the mouse RAG-2 gene. The region of identity extends several hundred nucleotides beyond the transcribed region and terminates in a series of dinucleotide (TG) repeats. The data are discussed in terms of RAG gene and 3' UTR function, regulation, and evolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Roux
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C499309:RAG2 protein, Oryctolagus cuniculus; C499311:RAG2 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C499308:Rag2 protein, mouse; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2