title: Molecular characterization and tissue distribution of feline retinol-binding protein 4.
abstract: Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a specific transporter of retinol and was recently identified as an adipokine potentially involved in type 2 diabetes in humans and rodents. However, the function and structure of feline RBP4 have not been reported. In this study, we describe the molecular cloning and expression analysis of feline RBP4. The complete feline RBP4 cDNA encodes a precursor protein comprising an 18 amino acid signal peptide and a 183 amino acid mature protein. Feline RBP4 was mapped to chromosome D2. Mature feline RBP4 is 83-94% homologous to the RBPs of humans, cows and rodents. RT-PCR analysis revealed feline RBP4 expression in liver and adipose tissues.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soeta
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002415:Cats / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000662:veterinary; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique / Q000662:veterinary; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D012313:RNA