Distinct genomic sequence of the CNR/Pcdhalpha genes in chicken

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004 Apr 2;316(2):437-45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.02.067.

Abstract

CNR/Pcdhalpha family proteins have been first identified as a receptor family that corporate with Fyn, a family of the Src family of tyrosine kinase, and known as synaptic cadherins. Here we report the complete genomic sequence and organization of the chicken (Gallus gallus) CNR/Pcdhalpha The total length of chicken CNR/Pcdhalpha is 177kb. The chicken CNR/Pcdhalpha cluster encodes 12 variable and 3 constant exons. The genomic organizations of the chicken, rat, mouse, and human CNR/Pcdhalpha are basically orthologous. The constant-region exons (CP1, CP2, and CP3) are highly conserved between chicken and mammals, with percent identities of 90.9%, 90.7%, and 91.8% at the amino-acid level for chicken versus rat, mouse, and human, respectively. In contrast, the percent identities of the variable-region exons between chicken and mammals were lower: 51.8%, 51.3%, and 52.7%, on average, for chicken versus rat, mouse, and human, respectively, at the amino-acid level. Moreover, the chicken variable-region exons (from v1 to v12) are highly conserved paralogously (91.4%: nucleic acid, 92.4%: amino acid) in comparison with those of mammals. The CG content of each variable exon in the chicken (v1 to v12) is 74% on average and the CpG dinucleotide frequency in each variable-region exon is twice that of mammals. Due to the high CG content, chicken variable exons (from v1 to v12) encode 3 to 4 frame-shifted open reading frames, which span 1.5-3.0kb, in both the sense and anti-sense orientations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cadherins / genetics*
  • Cadherins / metabolism
  • Chickens / genetics*
  • CpG Islands
  • Exons
  • Genome
  • Humans
  • Introns
  • Mice
  • Multigene Family
  • Open Reading Frames
  • Phylogeny
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / genetics*
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / metabolism
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Analysis
  • Untranslated Regions

Substances

  • Cadherins
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Untranslated Regions