Rat TAFII(31) gene is induced upon programmed cell death in differentiated PC12 cells deprived of NGF

Typical programmed cell death (PCD) requires de novo macromolecular synthesis and shares common morphological changes referred to as apoptosis, To elucidate the molecular mechanism of apoptosis, we isolated cDNA clones that are induced in differentiated PC12 cells deprived of NGF by differential display method. Among such clones, homology searches revealed that the one clone encodes the rat TATA-binding-protein-associated factor TAFII(31), a component of TFIID, and a transcriptional coactivator of the p53 protein. Northern analysis of various organs in human showed one band in heart, brain, skeletal muscle and pancreas, whose size is similar to 1.1 kb which identical to that of human TAFII(31) mRNA, although the size of rat human TAPII(31) mRNAs similar to 2.7 kb. The deduced amino acid sequence of the rat TAFII(31) was 77% identical to that of the human TAFII(31). Northern analysis of various organs in adult mice showed that expression levels of TAFII(31) mRNA were strong in heart but weak in spleen, although this gene is ubiquitously expressed. (C) 1997 Academic Press.