title: Mouse LIM-kinase 2 gene: cDNA cloning, genomic organization, and tissue-specific expression of two alternatively initiated transcripts.
abstract: LIM-kinase 1 and LIM-kinase 2 (LIMK1 and LIMK2) are members of a novel protein kinase subfamily containing LIM motifs at the N-terminus. There are two isoforms of Limk2 transcripts coding proteins with distinct N-terminal structures: LIMK2a, containing two LIM motifs, and LIMK2b, with one and one-half LIM motifs. Here we report the cDNA and genomic structures of mouse LIMK2. The deduced 638-aminoacid sequence of mouse LIMK2a shows 98% identity with that of rat LIMK2a. The mouse Limk2a gene consists of at least 16 exons and spans more than 50 kb. Exon/intron boundaries of the mouse Limk2a gene are exactly conserved with those of the mouse Limk1 gene. An additional exon encoding the Limk2b-specific 5'-terminal sequence was found to be located between exons 2 and 3, suggesting that Limk2a and 2b mRNAs are transcribed from a single Limk2 gene by an alternative usage of exons near the 5' end of the gene. Limk2a and Limk2b transcripts were expressed at different ratios in a variety of mouse tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ikebe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujimori
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006801:Humans; D054461:Lim Kinases; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D012313:RNA; D051381:Rats; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012313:RNA; D011494:Protein Kinases; C102895:LIMK2 protein, human; D054461:Lim Kinases; C095325:Limk2 protein, mouse; C490644:Limk2 protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases