title: Cloning and characterization of BS-cadherin, a novel cadherin from the colonial urochordate Botryllus schlosseri.
abstract: The genomic DNA for a novel member of the cadherin family (BS-cadherin) was cloned and characterized from the colonial marine invertebrate, Botryllus schlosseri. Using a differential display of mRNA by means of PCR, a small cDNA fragment of 380 nucleotides was found to be specifically expressed in a colony undergoing allogeneic rejection processes, as compared with naive parts of the same genotype. This cDNA fragment was used as a probe to screen a genomic library of Botryllus schlosseri. A genomic fragment containing an ORF of 2718 nucleotides, with no introns, was isolated. The encoded protein exhibits a typical structure of cadherins; an extracellular domain with conserved repeated sequences (cadherin signatures), a single transmembrane domain and a conserved cytoplasmic tail region. The BS-cadherin amino-acid sequence shows 32-35% identity to mature classical cadherins type I, e.g., N-, P- and E-cadherin as well as mature classical cadherins type II, e.g., human cadherin-6, -8 and OB-cadherin. This cadherin represents a new cadherin gene family, evolutionarily distant to all other known classical cadherins.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Tel Shikmona, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Douek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rinkevich
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015698:Genomic Library; D005838:Genotype; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016385:TATA Box; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014561:Urochordata / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014714:Vertebrates
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins