Characterization and comparative genomic analysis of intronless Adams with testicular gene expression.
ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family members with testis-specific or -predominant gene expression are divided phylogenically into two groups: ADAMs 2, 3, 5, 27, and 32 (the first group) and ADAMs 4, 6, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 34 (the second group). We cloned and sequenced cDNAs for previously unidentified mouse Adams that belong to the second group. We found that all the Adam genes in the second phylogenic group are transcribed by both somatic and germ cells in mouse testis, representing a unique expression pattern different from that of the first-group Adams. Genomic analyses revealed that all the second-group Adam genes lack introns interrupting protein-coding sequences and many of them are present as multicopy genes, resulting in total of 14 functional mouse genes in this phylogenic group. Comparing the mouse and human ADAM genes, we found that a number of these mouse Adam genes do not have human orthologues and, even if they exist, some orthologues are pseudogenes in human. These results suggest the differential expansion of the second-group Adam genes in the mouse genome during evolution and a relationship between these Adams and male reproduction unique to mouse.
Choi
Inchul
I
Department of Life Science, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 500-712, Republic of Korea.
Oh
Jungsu
J
Cho
Byung-Nam
BN
Ahnn
Joohong
J
Jung
Yong-Keun
YK
Han Kim
Do
D
Cho
Chunghee
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D019483:Disintegrins; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016678:Genome; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019483:Disintegrins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases