title: Cloning of a rat lung fibrogenic factor.
abstract: In a previous study a specific single polypeptide has been purified and characterized that it was capable of promoting human embryonic lung 2BS fibroblasts proliferation in vitro, whose N-terminal 15 amino acid have high sequence homology with members of the mammalian chitinase-like protein family. Here the cloning of the gene is reported. Its cDNA contains an open reading frame 1421 bp long and encodes a protein with a characteristic N-terminal 21 amino acid endoplasmic reticulum signal peptide and the putative protein is highly homologous to acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) precursor of mouse and human. Recombinant proteins demonstrate chitinolytic activity, therefore the gene is termed as rat AMCase. Sequence analysis indicates that the gene spanned a 46.2 kb region in rat chromosome 2. Its expression in several tissues other than alveolar macrophages suggests that it might play multiple biological roles in vivo. Our findings will facilitate studies on its roles in physiological and pathological processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, PR China. cxh01@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xiao Hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhen Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Shi Jing
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D019556:COS Cells; D002688:Chitinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012829:Silicosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D002688:Chitinases