title: Molecular cloning and characterization of the β-catenin gene from fine-wool sheep.
abstract: β-Catenin is an evolutionarily conserved molecule that functions as a crucial effector in both cell-to-cell adhesion and Wnt signaling. To gain a better understanding of its role in the development of hair follicles, we cloned the cDNA sequence of the β-catenin gene from the skin of Aohan fine-wool sheep and performed a variety of bioinformatics analyses. We obtained the full-length sequence, which was 4573-bp long and contained a 2346-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 781 amino acids. The protein had a predicted molecular weight of 85.4 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.57. Domain architecture analysis of the β-catenin protein revealed an armadillo repeat region, which is a common feature of β-catenin in other species. The ovine β-catenin gene shares 97.91%, 94.25%, 94.59%, 83.89%, and 89.39% sequence identity with its homologs in Bos taurus, Homo sapiens, Sus scrofa, Gallus gallus, and Mus musculus, respectively, while the amino acid sequence is more than 99% identical with each of these species. The expression of β-catenin mRNA was detected in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, skin, muscle, and adipose tissue. Expression levels were maximal in the lung and minimal in the muscle, and the difference in expression in these tissues was significant (P<0.01). Western blot analysis revealed the presence of the β-catenin protein in all tissues examined; expression was lowest in the skin and adipose tissues.
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Zu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Hesham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Darwish
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Yaqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Xiyue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Rongni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address: deng@cau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D012756:Sheep / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034421:Sus scrofa; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Aohan fine-wool sheep; Expression; Sequence analysis; cDNA clone; β-Catenin