Characterization of transcripts generated from mouse hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 2 (HAI-2) and HAI-2-related small peptide (H2RSP) genes: chimeric mRNA transcribed from both HAI-2 and H2RSP genes is detected in human but not in mouse

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2003-03, Vol.302 (2), p.345-353
• Main Authors: Naganuma, Seiji, Itoh, Hiroshi, Uchiyama, Shuichiro, Tanaka, Hiroyuki, Nagaike, Koki, Miyata, Shiro, Uchinokura, Shunro, Nuki, Yoshitsugu, Akiyama, Yutaka, Chijiiwa, Kazuo, Kataoka, Hiroaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative Splicing; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Chimeric mRNA; H2RSP; HGF; HGF activator inhibitor; Humans; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Mouse gene; Nuclear localization signal; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - genetics; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - isolation & purification; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Species Specificity; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription, Genetic; Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitz Soybean
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-291X(03)00154-2

We previously reported a novel small gene, designated hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 2 (HAI-2) related small peptide (H2RSP), in the process of the search for splicing variant forms of HAI-2 by 3 ′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends method [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 288 (2001) 390]. Human H2RSP gene consisted of four exons spanning approximately 1 kbp and was located in 11 kbp downstream of HAI-2 gene. In this study, we cloned and characterized the mouse counterpart of H2RSP gene, which was located in 6.6 kbp downstream of mouse HAI-2 gene, and analyzed the transcripts generated from both genes. Similar to human, mouse H2RSP mRNA (0.5 kb) was detected abundantly in various tissues including the gastrointestinal tract, and has nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the lysine-rich region (exon 4), which was well-conserved between human and mouse genes. However, chimeric mRNA transcribed from both HAI-2 (exons 1–7) and H2RSP (exons 2–4) genes, which was found in the kidney, prostate, and placenta of human by Northern blot analysis, was not detected in mouse tissue even by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Instead of the chimeric mRNA, a novel splicing variant lacking putative transmembrane domain of HAI-2 was found in mouse but not in human as a putative secrete form of HAI-2. These results suggest that the organization of H2RSP and HAI-2 gene complex is well-conserved, but the usage of these genes was quite different between human and mouse.