A functional truncated form of c-kit tyrosine kinase is produced specifically in the testis of the mouse but not the rat, pig, or human.
The complete nucleotide sequence of mouse-truncated mRNA of c-kit, tr-kit, has been determined using the CD1 strain. In this study, the nucleotide sequences of tr-kit from AKR/N, C57BL/6, and ICR strains of mice were determined and found to be identical, although many silent variations were found compared with the sequence in a database for CD1. Tr-kit protein consists of 12 amino acids encoded by the 16th intron and the following 190 amino acids of c-kit. In the sequences of tr-kit encoding 12 specific amino acids, no substitution was detected among the three strains and CD1. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis clearly showed that tr-kit mRNA expression was present only in testis. No nucleotide mutation in two important regions of the presumptive promoter for tr-kit mRNA was detected within the 16th intron of the mouse strains examined. However, no functional form of tr-kit was found in the rat, pig, or human by sequence analysis and homology testing.
Sakamoto
Akiko
A
Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan.
Yoneda
Akihiro
A
Terada
Kei
K
Namiki
Yuka
Y
Suzuki
Keita
K
Mori
Tadashi
T
Ueda
Junji
J
Watanabe
Tomomasa
T
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit