Molecular Cloning of NELIN,a Putative
Human Cytoskeleton Regulation Gene
ZHAO Yong, WEI Ying-Jie, CAO Hui-Qing, DING Jin-Feng*
( Molecular Medicine Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fu Wai Heart
Hospital & Cardiovascular Institute,Peking Union Medical College &
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100037, China )
Abstract For searching
cardiovascular-associated genes and investigating their expression profiles,
human adult heart and aorta cDNA libraries were constructed, and a novel gene
from adult heart cDNA library was isolated based on large-scale ESTs(expressed
sequence tags) sequencing(GenBank accession number AF114264). The 2 736 bp
clone contains one 1 344 bp open reading frame extending from 412 to 1 755. We
named it NELIN(nexilin-like protein) because it
shares high similarity with the rat nexilin.NELIN was
expression-restricted in heart, skeletalmuscle, artery and vein by Northern
blot and RT-PCR analyses, and mapped to chromosome 1p31-1p32 by database
analyses. Based on domain structure, NELIN could regulate the formations of
stress fibers,focal adhesion and its signaling complex, and even participates
in the signal transduction in FAs(focal adhesions).
Key words molecular cloning；cytoskeleton regulation gene；focal adhesions；signal transduction；muscle-specific
*Corresponding author：Tel,86-10-68314466-8003 or
86-10-68332561；Fax,86-10-68313012；e-mail, [email protected]