CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A MEMBER OF THE RAT MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE (MDR) GENE FAMILY

The rat mdr gene family [genes encoding P-glycoprotein (Pgp)] was characterized and the complete sequence of a rat mdr cDNA was determined based on seven independent cDNA clones that correspond to the same gene. The longest of these clones contains a 4.3-kb insert which represents a full-length rat mdr cDNA. The longest open reading frame of this sequence is 3933 bp; the first ATG is at 103 bp, making the deduced protein 1277 amino acids long (141 kDa). This correlates well with previously identified Pgp. The sequence of this gene has a very high, > 90%, degree of identity to the mouse mdr1b gene (also known as the mdr1 gene) therefore, we designate it the rat mdr1b gene. Transcription of this gene begins at a single start point 151 nucleotides upstream from the start codon. We show here that the rat gene family is comprised of three members, which is consistent with previous data on other rodent species.