A striking organization of a large family of human neural cadherin-like cell adhesion genes

被引:597
作者
Wu, Q [1 ]
Maniatis, T [1 ]
机构
[1] Harvard Univ, Dept Mol & Cellular Biol, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80789-8
中图分类号
Q5 [生物化学]; Q7 [分子生物学];
学科分类号
071010 ; 081704 ;
摘要
We have identified 52 novel human cadherin-like genes organized into three closely linked clusters. Comparison of the genomic DNA sequences with those of representative cDNAs reveals a striking genomic organization similar to that of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor gene clusters. The N-terminal extracellular and transmembrane domains of each cadherin protein are encoded by a distinct and unusually large exon. These exons are organized in a tandem array. By contrast, the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of each protein is identical and is encoded by three small exons located downstream from the cluster of N-terminal exons. This unusual organization has interesting implications regarding the molecular code required to establish complex networks of neuronal connections in the brain and the mechanisms of cell-specific cadherin-like gene expression.
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收藏
页码:779 / 790
页数:12
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