Cloning and tissue distribution of human membrane-bound aminopeptidase P

Complementary DNA clones encoding human membrane-bound aminopeptidase P (AmP) were isolated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of human kidney and lung poly (A)(+) RNA. Comparison of the human AmP sequence to that of the pig shows significant evolutionary divergence with only 83% amino acid sequence identity between the two species. Northern hybridization analysis and RT-PCR suggests that the soluble and membrane-bound forms of human AmP are products of two distinct genes or, through alternative splicing, have different C-terminal sequences. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.