ANALYSIS OF THE MURINE DTK GENE IDENTIFIES CONSERVATION OF GENOMIC STRUCTURE WITHIN A NEW RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASE SUBFAMILY

The receptor tyrosine kinase Dtk/Tyro 3/Shy/rse/brt/tif is a member of a new subfamily of receptors that also includes Axl/Ufo/Ark and Eyk/M er. These receptors are characterized by the presence of two immunoglo bulin-like loops and two fibronectin type III repeats in their extrace llular domains. The structure of the murine Dtk gene has been determin ed. The gene consists of 21 exons that are distributed over 21 kb of g enomic DNA. An isoform of Dtk is generated by differential splicing of exons hem the 5' region of the gene. The overall genomic structure of Dth is virtually identical to that determined for the human UFO gene. This particular genomic organization is likely to have been duplicate d and closely maintained throughout evolution. (C) 1996 Academic Press , Inc