Analysis of the structure and expression of the chicken gene encoding a homolog of the human RREB-1 transcription factor

• Published in: Gene 1997-11, Vol.202 (1), p.177-186
• Main Authors: Miyake, Jon H, Szeto, Daniel P, Stumph, William E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; Avian gene structure; Base Sequence; Blotting, Southern; Chickens; cloning; complementary DNA; DNA, Complementary - chemistry; DNA, Complementary - isolation & purification; DNA-binding protein; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; genbank/af013754; gene expression; Humans; introns; messenger RNA; Molecular evolution; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; open reading frames; Organ Specificity - genetics; ras Proteins - genetics; Ras-responsive element; regulator genes; rreb-1 gene; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; species differences; transcription factors; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription Factors - chemistry; Transcription Factors - genetics; Zinc finger; Zinc Fingers - genetics
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1119(97)00491-5

Ras proteins are involved in a number of signal transduction pathways including the mitogen-activated kinase cascade. Activated MAPKs translocate to the nucleus and phosphorylate transcription factors such as c-myc, TCF and AP-1. Recently, a Ras-responsive element binding transcription factor, RREB-1, was cloned from a human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line. RREB-1 is a zinc finger protein that binds to a Ras-responsive element in the promoter of the human calcitonin gene. We report the cloning of the chicken homologue to human RREB-1. Amino-acid alignment demonstrates that chicken and human RREB-1 are 53% identical and 69% similar. Genomic southern analysis indicates that chicken rreb-1 is a single-copy gene in the chicken genome. We demonstrate that chicken and human rreb-1 display the same tissue distribution, being expressed in all tissues examined except the brain. Interestingly, chicken RREB-1 has an extended N-terminus and contains 16 zinc fingers of the TFIIIA subclass, in comparison to human RREB-1 which was reported to contain only four zinc fingers. The size discrepancy between the two predicted gene products is further discussed. An unusual structural feature of RREB-1 is the widely spaced arrangement of the zinc fingers.