Identification of galectin-4 isoforms in porcine small intestine.
Lactose-binding proteins with molecular masses of 14-, 17-, 18-, 28-, and 34-kDa were identified in extracts from porcine small intestinal mucosa. Amino acid sequence analysis of peptides generated by CNBr cleavage of the 34-kDa protein, the most abundant of these proteins, identified this protein as porcine galectin-4. To determine if a porcine homolog of murine galectin-6 is expressed in small intestine, primers for a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were developed that amplified across the linker region of galectin-4, which is the region that differs between murine galectins-4 and -6. Using these primers, this RT-PCR approach identified two galectin-4 isoforms that differed in the length of their linker region. The larger isoform, galectin-4.1, is nine amino acids longer in its linker region than the smaller isoform, galectin-4.2. Based on nucleotide sequence similarities, the two isoforms are likely splice variants of galectin-4 pre-mRNA and not products of separate genes like murine galectins-4 and -6.
Wooters
Melissa A
MA
Veterinary Science Department, South Dakota State University, North Campus Drive, PO Box 2175, Brookings, SD 57007, USA.
Ropp
Susan L
SL
Erickson
Alan K
AK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D037541:Galectin 4 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034421:Sus scrofa
D037541:Galectin 4; D020033:Protein Isoforms