THE MOUSE AQUAPORIN-1 GENE

Members of the aquaporin family of molecular water transporters are ex pressed in diverse epithelia and in complex developmental patterns. Us ing a cDNA for mouse Aqp1, the structural gene was isolated and a rest riction map was constructed. The 13-kb Aqp1 gene contains four exons w ith intronic boundaries corresponding to other known aquaporin genes. Transcription begins 67 bp 5' to the translation initiation site and 2 0 bp 3' from a TATAA consensus sequence. Aqp1 was localized by intersp ecific mouse backcross mapping to the central region of mouse chromoso me 6 syntenic with human chromosome 7p14, where AQP1 had previously be en localized. These studies have revealed marked structural similariti es between the mouse Aqp1 and the human AQP1 genes, suggesting that fu rther comparative studies may provide molecular insight into genetic r egulatory features shared by both species. (C) 1995 Academic Press, In c.