Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:We reported the gene structure and expression of CLUL1 in humans and dogs (Zhang et al., IOVS 44, 4542–4549, 2003). To further elucidate the function of the gene we cloned and characterized the cDNA and expression of bovine and rat CLUL1. Methods:The retinas of bovine and rat were used for mRNA extraction and expression studies. RT–PCR and RACE were performed to obtain the cDNA sequences of bovine and rat. Northern blots were done on rat tissues to examine the expression profile. Bioinformatics was used to search the NCBI database for homology of protein sequences. Results:The cDNA sequences of bovine and rat contain 2384 base pair (bp) and 1443 bp, and encode a protein of 465 amino acids (AA) and 464 AA, respectively. The bioinformatics analyses revealed that the bovine sequence shares 75% and 68% identity to dog and human, respectively and that the rat sequence shares 52%, 54%, and 55% to bovine, dog, and human, respectively. The alignment of protein sequences from the species reveals the evolutionary conservation of putative functional sites. Conclusions:Cloning and characterizing the CLUL1 of bovine and rat provide us the opportunity to study the function of the gene by biochemical and gene targeting approaches.
Keywords: retina • photoreceptors • gene/expression