RGD Reference Report - Comparison of nonerythroid alpha-spectrin genes reveals strict homology among diverse species. - Rat Genome Database

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Comparison of nonerythroid alpha-spectrin genes reveals strict homology among diverse species.

Authors: Leto, TL  Fortugno-Erikson, D  Barton, D  Yang-Feng, TL  Francke, U  Harris, AS  Morrow, JS  Marchesi, VT  Benz EJ, JR 
Citation: Leto TL, etal., Mol Cell Biol 1988 Jan;8(1):1-9.
RGD ID: 631898
Pubmed: PMID:3336352   (View Abstract at PubMed)
PMCID: PMC363070   (View Article at PubMed Central)

The spectrins are a family of widely distributed filamentous proteins. In association with actin, spectrins form a supporting and organizing scaffold for cell membranes. Using antibodies specific for human brain alpha-spectrin (alpha-fodrin), we have cloned a rat brain alpha-spectrin cDNA from an expression library. Several closely related human clones were also isolated by hybridization. Comparison of sequences of these and other overlapping nonerythroid and erythroid alpha-spectrin genes demonstrated that the nonerythroid genes are strictly conserved across species, while the mammalian erythroid genes have diverged rapidly. Peptide sequences deduced from these cDNAs revealed that the nonerythroid alpha-spectrin chain, like the erythroid spectrin, is composed of multiple 106-amino-acid repeating units, with the characteristic invariant tryptophan as well as other charged and hydrophobic residues in conserved locations. However, the carboxy-terminal sequence varies markedly from this internal repeat pattern and may represent a specialized functional site. The nonerythroid alpha-spectrin gene was mapped to human chromosome 9, in contrast to the erythroid alpha-spectrin gene, which has previously been assigned to a locus on chromosome 1.



Objects referenced in this article
Gene Sptan1 spectrin, alpha, non-erythrocytic 1 Rattus norvegicus

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