title: Gene for chinese rhesus macaque DC-SIGN predicts the existence of A but not B isoforms of the protein.
abstract: We report here the gene for DC-SIGN from Chinese rhesus macaques. DC-SIGN is a C-type lectin expressed by dendritic cells (DCs). It is involved in the interaction of DCs with T cells, and in transmission to T cells of HIV-1 and SIV. Alternative splicing in human DC-SIGN yields A and B isoforms of the protein. The overall organization of the rhesus macaque gene is similar to that of the human gene. Translation of B isoforms cannot occur because of a point substitution. The coding sequence shows that we have cloned a fourth allele for rhesus macaque DC-SIGN. This allele shows high homology to the other rhesus macaque alleles. However, at the protein level, the homology is highest with the pigtail macaque protein. This suggests a convergent evolution of DC-SIGN in macaques living in China. The importance of DC-SIGN variability in the immune response remains to be investigated.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Immunologie, Institut Cochin, INSERM U567, CNRS UMR8104, Université Paris V-René Descartes, 75014 Paris, France. psantos@mail.cochin.inserm.fr
authors.forename: Patrícia R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Petitprez
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Butor
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D000099215:DC-Specific ICAM-3 Grabbing Nonintegrin
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D000099215:DC-Specific ICAM-3 Grabbing Nonintegrin