title: Cloning and alternative splicing analysis of Bombyx mori transformer-2 gene using silkworm EST database.
abstract: We have identified Bombyx mori transformer-2 gene (Bmtra-2) cDNA by blasting the EST database of B. mori. It was expressed in the whole life of the male and female silkworm and was observed as a band of 1.3 kb by Northern blot analysis. By comparing corresponding ESTs to the Bmtra-2 DNA sequence, it was revealed that there were eight exons and seven introns, and all splice sites of exons/introns conformed to the GT/AG rule. Bmtra-2 pre-mRNA can produce multiple mRNAs encoding six distinct isoforms of BmTRA-2 protein using an alternative splicing pathway during processing. Six types of Bmtra-2 cDNA clones were identified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. All isoforms of BmTRA-2 protein contain two arginine/serine-rich domains and one RNA recognition motif, showing striking organizational similarity to Drosophila TRA-2 proteins.
authors.affiliation: Sericultural Research Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
authors.forename: Bao-Long
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Zhi-Qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Yue-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Shun-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hong-Biao
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Wei-Feng
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000379:methods; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein / Q000379:methods; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; C066174:tra2 protein, Drosophila