title: Embryonic stem cell and tissue-specific expression of a novel conserved gene, asrij.
abstract: We have identified a novel gene expressed in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and in a restricted, tissue-specific pattern during mouse development. The gene is also expressed in blood vessels; hence, we have named it asrij (Sanskrit; asRîj= blood). The gene encodes a novel conserved, predicted transmembrane protein of 247 amino acids, which is localized to lysosomes and endosomes. During ES cell-derived blood vessel formation in vitro, Asrij expression precedes and partially overlaps with the vascular markers Flk-1 and PECAM. During development, Asrij is expressed predominantly in mouse embryonic blood vessels. The asrij transcript is alternatively spliced, and its expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner. An asrij splice variant that is enriched in the adult mouse brain encodes a protein of 196 amino acids. Asrij can serve as an early stem cell marker that is down-regulated in nonvascular tissues. Our data indicate that Asrij belongs to a novel class of conserved proteins with a complex developmental profile and suggests multiple functions for the gene.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Arpita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Debjani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Maneesha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Inamdar
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D011992:Endosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006652:Histological Techniques; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013234:Stem Cells
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary