THE STRUCTURE OF THE SEMENOGELIN GENE LOCUS - NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF THE INTERGENIC AND THE FLANKING DNA

The sequence of 15.7 kb from the human semenogelin gene locus has been determined. Together with previously published sequences, this gives the structure of a 28-kb region encompassing the two semenogelin genes . The two transcription units are separated by 11616 bp intergenic DNA comprising more than 40% repetitive DNA sequences, predominantly loca ted to a 4-kb block of L1 and Alu repeats. Two more blocks of L1 seque nces are present in the DNA flanking the genes, so that approximately 20% of the completed sequence consists of long interspersed repeated s equences, so called LINES. A comparison of the SgI gene and the SgII g ene suggests that they evolved by the duplication of an approximately 8 kb DNA segment about 61 million years ago, probably by a mechanism i nvolving recombination between L1 elements.